Embers of a Shinobi
by Kog6943
Summary: Stranded in an unfamiliar world with no clue how to get back, Naruto has no choice but to adapt, and quickly. As he comes to terms with his new situation, Naruto is forced to endure through rampant racism, creatures bent on destruction, and questionable friendships.
1. Chapter 1

**And we're here! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 1!**

 **This is my second story! I never really thought I would do something besides Twilight Key.**

 **I was reading some Naruto/RWBY crossovers recently and I was hit with the idea to start this. I dunno if what I have planned is the most original thing ever, but I'm still doing it.**

 **Fair warning to you, Twilight Key will probably be my priority over this. I will do my best to keep them both up, but that story comes first…Unless I change my mind. Then this one will take priority.**

 **Naruto is probably a bit OOC in this.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Diety Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Diety Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

"This battle…It's finally ending…"

"…"

In a location known as the Valley of the End, two figures stood across from one another as they prepared to finish the battle they have been waging. Both of the figures were on their last legs, and they knew it. While the two of them normally looked like a pair of normal thirteen year olds, their appearances were distorted due to the powers they were using.

The first figure was a blond boy with crimson eyes with slits for pupils. On either of his cheeks were three thick whisker marks. He had on an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulder areas and around the waist. It had a white swirl with a tassel on the left side and a red Uzumaki swirl on the back, with the collar being white while the pants were a matching orange. He also wore blue shinobi sandals. He had on a forehead protector with the symbol of a leaf on it. His entire body was shrouded in an orange cloak of some kind. It was shaped to look similar to some kind of fox.

Across the valley was another boy. His appearance was distorted to a much greater degree. His skin had changed color to greyish-brown and his hair had grown longer and shaggier. Across the bridge of his nose was some kind of four pointed star and his eyes were red with three tomoes in either eye. He had on a blue top with a high collar and white shorts. Coming out of his back were two giant wings that resembled hands. He wore the same forehead protector as the blond boy.

"Why? Why would you do this? How could you just throw everything we've been through away so you could go join that freak?!" The blond boy shouted.

The other boy shook his head. "You would never understand. I need power! And this is my ticket to get it! Stand in my way and I will kill you, Naruto!"

Naruto looked pained to hear that. "You are making a mistake, Sasuke! Power isn't worth betraying all of your bonds!" He took a deep breath before glaring. "I'll just drag your ass back home!"

Sasuke's glare turned even colder. "I won't deny that I enjoyed some of the moments we had as a team. But those bonds make me weak!" He crouched in preparation. "Killing you will provide me with the strength I need!"

The two of them glared at one another, knowing that the next move would end the battle. At the same time, they started to prepare their last attacks. The blond boy raised his one good arm and created an orb of blue spiraling energy.

The other boy flashed through some hand seals before gripping his wrist with his free hand as the other generated black lightning.

They glared at each other again, waiting for the right moment to strike. Then as one, they both leapt towards one another!

" **Chidori**!" " **Rasengan**!"

Boom!

Their attacks met head on, creating an explosion of energy with the two of them at the center, struggling to overpower each other. All of that rampaging power formed a purple condensed sphere around them.

Seeing an opportunity, the avian boy broke his attack off from the struggle and redirected it towards the chest of the blond boy. Squelch!

As his attack dissipated, Naruto could only look on with shocked eyes as the boy he saw as a brother attempted to kill him again. Grunting in pain as the blood started to pool in his throat, he made a last ditch swipe, but only managed to scratch the forehead protector of his enemy.

' _I…I can't believe it…He went in for the kill…again…'_ Feeling his consciousness fading, Naruto weakly glared at the black haired boy.

He only got a crazed grin in return.

BOOM! His world turned black.

* * *

Naruto groaned as his consciousness slowly returned. "...Ugh, what the hell happened?" The first thing that came to his attention was that he was laying on his back.

The second was the pain.

"Son of a..." Naruto grit his teeth and tried to ride out the pain. He could do nothing but remain there for several moments as he waited for it to subside. Eventually, the pain started to clear and he was able to think clearly. "That freaking hurt..."

Groaning again, Naruto became aware of the feeling of dirt and leaves under his body. This realization made him frown. _'Did I fall asleep while training again?'_ He cracked a blue eye open and was greeted with red. Naruto frowned in confusion. _'Red leaves? It isn't the right season...'_ He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"Where am I...?" He made to get up, but stopped when another wave of pain hit him. "Gah..." He grasped the area that was in pain, his chest. "Why the hell am I in so much pain?" He closed his eyes and thought back.

Getting woken up by Shikamaru.

Being informed that Sasuke left the village.

Sakura asking for him to bring the asshole back.

Having to leave his teammates behind one by one to fight.

Catching up to the bone guy.

Sasuke running away.

Fighting in the valley.

One last attack. They jumped at each other.

Naruto gasped as a sense of betrayal hit him. _'That jackass betrayed us! He spat on all of our bonds for power! And...He tried to kill me!'_ The hurt from the betrayal gave way for rage. _'The bastard didn't even hesitate! He was grinning while he did it!'_ A low growl escaped his throat.

' _I ask and beg for him to stop, but he rams_ TWO _fucking fists full of lightning through my chest!'_ The anger in him just kept growing. _'He was willing to kill me! What the hell does Sakura-chan see in him? And why the hell am I going so far to 'save' the ass?'_ That question made him pause. Why _was_ he willing to do so much to bring Sasuke back?

Naruto frowned as he thought about it. _'He doesn't give a shit, so why should I? Why should I care about a traitor?'_ This train of thought turned to his other teammate. _'And Sakura must be as delusional as I was. I thought she was the smart one?'_ Naruto let out a derisive snort before looking around again. "Now, I should probably get back to the village..." He gingerly got to his feet.

Once he was standing, Naruto looked around with a frown. "But where the heck is the village?" Taking a closer look at the forest he was in, Naruto realized that there weren't any trees like this anywhere near Konoha. Irritation flashed through Naruto. He just wanted to go home and forget about the entire crappy mission.

Spotting a tall tree nearby, Naruto ran towards it before jumping up and into its branches. Using his chakra to aid him, he was easily able to run up the trunk of the tree. He soon broke through the layer of red leaves and got his first look at the night sky. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

"Why the hell is the moon broken?!"

High up above him was the moon, but it was partially shattered. Naruto gaped at it for a minute, his mind attempting to process that what he was looking at was real. _'I don't think I'm dreaming…'_ Shaking his head and deciding to worry about it later, Naruto started to look around in an attempt to spot some familiar landmark. A scowl was slowly making its way onto his face as he realized he had no idea where he was. _'Damn it all…_ ' Turning his head in the other direction, he paused when he saw something in the distance. It was a city, but a weird looking one.

It was huge!

Just from where he was Naruto was able to tell that the city was at least as big as Konoha. And some of the buildings in it were _way_ taller than what he was used to. _'I guess that's as good a place as any to get some directions…'_

* * *

 **Later**

Naruto was able to reach the city quickly by hopping through the trees. Taking up a leisure pace as he took in his surroundings, Naruto marveled at how _advanced_ this place was. Just with a single glance, he saw all kinds of devices that seemed like was even beyond the Land of Spring. Heck, these people were speeding around in giant metal boxes!

"Hey, look at that kid…Doesn't it look like he crawled right out of the gutter?" A frown appeared on his face as he heard that whisper.

"Well, what do you expect from an animal?" It took all of his self-control not to turn around and lash out at the speakers right then and there. Looking around discreetly, the frown on his face deepened when he saw that multiple people were sending him disgusted looks. Not everyone was, but definitely enough for him to notice.

' _These people don't even know me and they treat me as less than human…'_ It was just like some of the people from Konoha…Too scared of the Kyūbi to see him for who he was.

Shaking his head, Naruto sped up a bit to turn a corner and put some distance between him and the whispering people. "Oof!" He was in such a hurry that he didn't notice the woman rounding the corner. Naruto stumbled back, but was able to stay on his feet. He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry…about…that…" He trailed off when he got a good look at the woman.

The woman blinked in surprise before sending at small smile at him, not noticing his reaction to her appearance. "Oh, it's not a problem. But do be more careful in the future." Naruto barely heard this as his eyes were glued to the top of her head.

' _Are those dog ears?'_ Realizing that she had spoken, he shook his head. "Right, I'll be sure to do that…"

It was at that point that the woman got a good look at him. A small frown made its way onto her face. "I can't believe it. No mercy, even to children…" She muttered.

Naruto tilted his head. "I'm sorry?" What did she mean by that?

She shook her head. "It's nothing…" She smiled at him. "Where are your parents, honey? They must be worried about you if you're out this late at night…" The look of sadness that flashed across his face wasn't covered quickly enough. The woman sighed sadly. "I see…" She reached into her purse and pulled out a few coins. "Here, you may not want to take this, but I insist. You look like you can use a good bite to eat…"

Naruto frowned at the strange currency. He did _not_ do charity. He opened his mouth to deny the offered money, but was interrupted by the loud growl his stomach emitted. Blushing up a storm, even as the woman smiled sadly again, Naruto shook his head. "Keep your money, I'm fine. I still have my own." He pulled out a ryō coin to prove his point. The woman quirked an eyebrow at it.

"I don't recognize that currency…But either way, I don't think you will be able to find a place that will accept it…"

"Oh…" Naruto slowly lowered his hand.

A slow smirk made its way onto the woman's face. "How about this, I'll trade you. My husband happens to collect coins. I'll give you this money if you give me some of yours. Sound fair?" Naruto frowned in thought.

"Sure…" If what she said was right, then all of his money was no good here…Wherever here was. It would be better to have at least _some_ money compared to nothing. This was still closer to a handout than he would have liked, but at least he was paying her as well.

The woman brightened. "Great!" They swapped the money and she smiled at him again. "Now be careful on your way home." She waved at him before she continued on her way.

Naruto pocketed the money and glanced around. _'Now, where can I get something to eat?'_ After a few minutes of wandering around, he spotted a local sub shop. With a mental shrug, he walked over to it.

A bell rang out when Naruto walked through the door. The man behind the counter didn't turn back from what he was doing. "Welcome! What can I get for you?" He asked.

Looking over the menu, Naruto realized that he wasn't sure how much the money he had on him was worth. He spoke up with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but I'm not used to the local currency. How much can I get for this?" He held out his hand with the money the woman gave him.

The man hummed thoughtfully before he turned around. He paused when he saw Naruto. He quickly combed over Naruto's outfit and the state it was in before landing on the whisker birthmarks. His friendly demeanor disappeared instantly. "What do you think you are doing?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "What? I'm-"

"Get out! How do you expect people to eat in peace with you here?!"

"What was that?"

"I said get out! We don't serve animals here!"

Shaking in rage, Naruto glared at the man. Looking around, Naruto saw that the people sitting at tables were giving him disdainful and wary looks. Turing his head back to the man behind the counter, Naruto spoke up. "I didn't want to eat the crap here anyways-ttebayo!" He promptly stormed out and away.

Losing himself into a haze of anger, Naruto didn't pay any attention to where he was walking. _'It's all the same! The looks. The whispers. The treatment! I hate it!'_ Naruto was eventually able to reel in his anger and look around. "Now where am I?" He sighed. This entire situation sucked.

Suddenly, a certain aroma reached Naruto's nose. He instantly perked up and tried to better identify it. _'This smell…I know this smell…'_ A wide grin spread across Naruto's face. He spun around and raced towards the source of the scent, a small stand. The name on the stand was _A Simple Wok._ The grin on Naruto's face grew as he saw what was behind the counter. "Ramen…"

The man who was eating a bowl of ramen behind the counter blinked at the weird kid that just ran into the stand. "You want some kid?" He had short brown hair that was combed back, dark eyes, and had some stubble on his chin. His outfit consisted of black pants and a white shirt worn under an apron.

Naruto nodded eagerly, happy to see he wasn't about to get kicked out. Sitting down, Naruto pulled out some of the money the woman gave him and held it out. "Please get me as much miso ramen as this can buy me!"

Smirking at the order, the man took the money. "You sure you can eat all that? This is good for at least a few bowls…"

"It's no problem-ttebayo!"

"Hahaha! Alright, kid. Just give me a second to grab the fire dust…" He turned away as Naruto blinked in confusion.

' _Dust? How can dust do anything?'_

The man seemed to notice the confused look on Naruto's face because he smirked before answering the unasked question. "I know, I know. It's weird to use fire dust for this, right? Well, I like to think that it add a bit of an extra oomph to the ramen!" He reached below the counter and pulled out a small container of some red powder before opening it. "Just watch."

Naruto watched with wide eyes as the man seemed to glow with some strange energy. _'I'm pretty sure that's not chakra…'_ The man directed the energy towards the container, and the powder started to glow. Naruto barely repressed a flinch as a small vortex of fire shot out of the container.

"Don't try this at home, kid!" The man waved his glowing hand at the pot of ramen, and the fire followed its direction. The heat of the flames instantly cooked the ramen to perfection.

Naruto couldn't help the drool that dripped from the corner of his mouth. "That's awesome!"

"I know, right?" The man smirked as he slid a bowl of steaming ramen at Naruto. "I don't get why the actual owner of this stand doesn't do this…Well, I guess he might be a bit too old for it…"

Not wasting another second, Naruto grabbed the bowl and dug in. "This is really good! Ichiraku is still better of course, but this is still good!"

"Oh? That sounds like a challenge!" The man nodded. "Just you wait, before you walk out of here, you'll have no choice but to admit this is the best ramen you ever had!" This declaration brought a grin to Naruto's face.

While eating his current bowl, Naruto thought over his current situation. He was in an unknown city, in an unknown region, and was unable to even use his normal form of currency. He didn't even _know_ any place that didn't use ryō! "Hey, old man…"

"Who the hell you calling old?! The name's Jack, kid."

"Whatever…" Jack grumbled a bit. "What city is this?"

Jack paused what he was doing and turned his head around with a raised eyebrow. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the look, but didn't elaborate on why he didn't know where he was. "This is the city of Vale…"

Naruto nodded while taking another slurp of his ramen. "Right, right…And which country is that in?" Was this still the Land of Fire?

Jack slowly turned around completely and crossed his arms over his chest. "You mean which _kingdom_?"

"Yeah, that. Country is just what I'm used to calling it."

"This is the kingdom of Vale. You're in the capital…"

Naruto blinked. _'What? Where the hell am I?'_ A frown appeared on the blond's face. He really didn't want to do this, but it was the only way he was going to get any answers without asking people questions that were going to make them suspicious. "Cool, thanks…Can you tell me where the nearest library is?"

Jack frowned. "It's not that far, only a couple blocks. I'll tell you the way, but it is probably closed now. You'll have to stop by tomorrow." Naruto nodded with a wide grin.

"That would be great, thanks!" His grin grew. "Now keep the ramen coming-ttebayo! Or are you admitting that Ichiraku is better?"

"Like hell I am! Keep your ass in your seat, brat! One awesome bowl of ramen coming up!"

* * *

 **One Week Later**

Naruto felt his frustration growing as the week went by. Just like Jack had said, the library was nearby, so finding it was not a problem.

The first hitch came when the librarian by the door took one look at his appearance and grimaced. Luckily, the old bat seemed to be able to at least _act_ professionally, so Naruto wasn't kicked out. The second hitch came soon after Naruto started to look through the maps and atlases that were there.

 _He wasn't in the Elemental Nations anymore._

Understandably, a small sense of panic began to rise within him, but Naruto managed to stay calm and continue looking for any clues as to where he was. After a day of research, Naruto had attempted to summon a toad...Only to get nothing out of it but a puff of smoke. That was the final straw in making him admit to the small thought that has been in the back of his head since he saw the shattered moon.

He was in an entirely different world.

This revelation opened the gate for a mad dash to try and gather information about where he was. There had to be _something_ that would help him get back. While he came across many things that caught his attention such as dust, aura, huntsmen, and the Grimm, Naruto was unable to find anything mentioning another world.

The only good thing that happened that week was the accidental discovery that he gained the memories of his clones when they dispelled. He only found that out when a clone that was carrying a bunch of books for him tripped and popped. He spent all of ten minutes hating himself for not noticing sooner before creating a small group that were quickly ordered to help in the search and go back to look up the information about the new world he found himself in.

From opening until closing, Naruto spent all of his free time in a secluded corner of the library. He wanted to keep out of view because he was growing increasingly annoyed with all the looks that his appearance got him. It wasn't like he _wanted_ to walk around in a tattered tracksuit!

Not having anywhere to go, Naruto slept in a tree in a nearby park. He had done so many times in the past, so he didn't have a problem with it. Getting food on the other hand was something that had him worried for a bit. He had quickly spent all of the local currency he had, so he had nothing to buy food with.

Luckily, Jack seemed to be someone who was able to get a good read on people. He had noticed instantly the next time he saw Naruto that the blond looked a little hungry, but knew that any handouts would likely be rejected. So he came up with a compromise.

Naruto would work for his food. Jack assigned him miscellaneous jobs and would pay Naruto with food. These jobs ranged from taking out the trash to distributing flyers advertising the stand. Naruto was thankful for the chance to earn his meals, and even more grateful that Jack withheld from asking questions.

Currently, Naruto was walking down the street on his way to _A Simple Wok_ after getting shooed out of the library when it closed. His mind was on his situation. _'I've looked through all those books and I still haven't found anything that could help me get home...'_ He didn't want to give up, but it was hard to ignore his slowly discouraging thoughts.

His eyes lazily took in his surrounds as he walked down the street. It always slightly interested him to see all of the different stores and the odd items they sold. He had even gone into a few shops when something peaked his curiosity. The presence of the blond got mixed reactions by the employees. Some stores treated him normally, but with others he was given more of those wary looks or even kicked out.

"Ow!" He stumbled back when he someone walked into him.

"You should really be more careful, kid. The late night streets are no place for a child. There are all kinds of dangerous people lurking about..." Naruto glared at the speaker.

He was greeted with the sight of a man with green eyes and orange hair. One of his eyes was covered by his long bangs. His outfit was made up of a white suit that was lined with red, a small grey scarf, and a black bowler hat with a ring of red around it. He also had on black gloves, pants, and shoes. In his hand was a dark cane.

Behind him were several men dressed in black suits with matching hats, shoes, and red ties. Each of them looked extremely similar to one another, the only variation being that some of them wore red sunglasses or had facial hair.

The man shook his head when he noticed the glare. "Kids these days, no respect for their elders…" He stepped around Naruto and continued on his way towards a dust shop across the street. "Keep moving, boys. I don't have all night…" The men soon followed after the man with orange hair.

' _I don't like him. Even with his awesome hair color, he seems to be a bit of an ass…'_ Naruto frowned when he scrutinized the man in the white suit. _'I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before…'_

The group of men walked up to the dust shop and entered. Through the window of the store, Naruto was able to see the men walk up to the counter. His eyes widened when the men in black suddenly drew swords and pointed them at the woman behind the counter. _'They're robbing the store!'_ Naruto scowled and dashed over to the store before running in as the woman started to load the dust crystals into a box. "Hey! What do you think you are doing?!" He yelled.

The orange haired man turned with a raised eyebrow. "Um…I think I'm robbing the store?" Growling, Naruto pulled out a kunai and slid into a battle stance. The eyebrow climbed higher as some of the men in black turned their weapons to Naruto. "What, you want to try and be some hero, kid? That's pretty dumb of you…"

"It's dumber to think that you are gonna get out of this without having your ass kicked-ttebayo!"

"I don't know why you care so much…" The man shook his head with a sigh before pulling out a cigar and putting it in his mouth. "It isn't any of your business…" He lit the cigar. "I'm just reacquiring the dust so it can be put to…better use…"

"You're stealing!"

A shrug. "Maybe so, but that hasn't stopped me before." He tilted his head. "But again, why do you care? I'm not stealing from you. Besides, I hear that this lady has a bit of a mean streak. Just think of this as payback for all the crap she puts the people she meets through…"

Naruto blinked and glanced over to the woman being held at sword point. His eyes widened when he recognized her. _'She's one of the people who threw me out of the store the moment I walked in!'_

The man in white noticed the scowl that formed on Naruto's face. "You see? I can guess just by looking at your face that you know what I'm talking about. Doesn't seeing this happen make you feel good? At least a bit? It's like karma, in a way…"

Naruto hesitated before opening his mouth. But a shout cut him off before he could speak. "You will pay for this, you bastard! The world would be better off without people like you or those horrible animals! I'm already having trouble getting a steady supply of dust with all the White Fang raids, but now you come and steal what I do have?" The woman snarled. Her eyes turned to Naruto. "Your kind has always been nothing but trash that made hardworking people like me suffer!" A sharp shove from the man behind her silenced her and the red crystal in her hand fell to the floor.

"You see what I mean? Don't waste your sympathy on this." The orange haired man bent over to pick up the crystal at his feet. "Don't mind if I do…" He pocketed it. Looking around, he saw that all of his henchmen were finished raiding the store of the dust and tying up the woman. He tipped his hat to Naruto. "Well kid, it was nice meeting you. Think about what I said, okay?" He and the men quickly left.

Naruto just watched them go with chaotic thoughts. Part of him was screaming to go after them and turn them into the police, but another part was just as loud in voicing that it really _wasn't_ his problem. That, and he wanted the woman to suffer…

It scared him when he realized he actually thought that.

Shaking his head, Naruto dashed out of the shop and continued on his way to _A Simple Wok_.

* * *

 **Park on the Edge of the City (A Few Days Later)**

It has been a few days since Naruto witnessed the dust shop robbery, and his mind kept on returning to the things that the man in the white suit said. _'That guy…he had a point…why_ did _I care? It had nothing to do with me…'_

Naruto was currently relaxing in the branch of a tree in a park. This was one of the more secluded parks due to being on the edge of the city, so he often preferred coming here. He could see the edge of the forest he had learned was called Forever Fall off in the distance.

' _That lady hasn't done anything for me, so why did I think of helping her? She was just like those damn villagers who hated me for the Kyūbi! She must have thought I was a Faunus or something…'_ Naruto had come across details of the Faunus and the hate towards them while in the library. He instantly likened their animal traits to his whisker marks, but he knew that he was still human. _'I hate the racism here. I haven't done anything to these people and yet some of them still treat me like trash…'_

"Hey, wait up!" A childish shout drew his eyes to a small girl that was running around in the park. She was laughing as she chased after an equally small boy.

"Nuh uh! You have to catch me!" The boy shouted.

The sight of the two children made Naruto smile a bit. After a moment, he noticed the children both had rabbit ears on the top of their heads. Naruto was content to just watch the children play for the next few minutes, but his thoughts slowly returned to his situation.

' _This all happened because the teme decided to betray everyone. I was so stupid to actually see him as a brother…Now I'm stuck in an entirely different world with nothing but the clothes on my back and the stuff I have on me…'_ A scowl was forming on his face again.

"ROAR!" A loud roar from the forest made Naruto bolt to his feet and spin around to face the forest. Scanning the tree line, Naruto spotted five identical creatures stalking out of it.

They were large, black, bipedal creatures that had a slouch to their postures and red eyes. On their faces were bone-like masks with red markings. They also had something that resembled bones shaped into spikes on their arms, backs, and knees. Even from where he was, Naruto could spot the sharp claws.

No doubt about it. These were Grimm.

Naruto noticed right away that they seemed to be focused on his location as they slowly crept towards him.

"KYA!" The fearful scream of the little girl made them pause. They looked between Naruto and the two cowering kids before coming to a decision. The group of Grimm spun around and charged at the two kids, who stumbled back and onto the floor out of fear.

"No!" Like hell he was about to sit and watch those kids die! Crouching low for a moment, Naruto rocketed out of the tree and over the Grimm. He landed between the pack and the two children. He turned his head slightly to address them while keeping his eyes on the Grimm. "Go! Get out of here!" Deciding to listen to the stranger, the kids scrambled to their feet and fled the park. Seeing that they were gone, Naruto turned back to the Grimm. "You want them? You're gonna have to get by me first!" He slid into a battle stance.

The lead Grimm growled at him before it pounced, but Naruto easily moved out of the way. He blinked as he got his first close look of the Grimm. "Whoa, you are one ugly dog…Grimm…thing…"

"Grah!" Naruto rolled to the side to avoid the lunging Grimm before jumping up and over the one that tried to slash at him from behind.

"You won't be able to hit me that easily…" Once he landed, Naruto formed the hand seal he was the most familiar with. " **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** " Four clones popped into existence around him. None of the clones needed any instructions before they each launched themselves at a Grimm. Naruto himself dashed at the nearest Grimm as well.

He ducked under the slash it made and sent a strong punch to the Grimm's chest. "Grah!" The punch was strong enough to send it back several feet.

"You aren't so tough…" Not giving the Grimm a chance to recover, Naruto pulled out a kunai and dashed at it. In one swift motion, the kunai was stabbed into the center of the Grimm's head. Naruto tugged the kunai out and jumped back as the Grimm began to dissolve. Looking around, Naruto saw that his clones were also easily able to kill the Grimm.

Naruto nodded to himself as his clones dispelled. "Well, that worked out well…" Naruto turned when he heard sirens approaching. There were several police cars speeding towards the park. They screeched to a stop when they reached it.

An officer quickly got out of his car and looked around. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the disappearing Grimm, and then he looked to Naruto and stopped on the kunai in his hand. "Hey, kid!" He called.

Naruto frowned. While he was sure he didn't do anything wrong, this could lead to the discovery that he had no records. And _that_ would be a problem. Deciding on his next course of action, Naruto turned and ran full speed out of the area.

"Wait!" The officer cursed. _'Damn! That kid is fast. He must have a speed semblance!'_

* * *

"Well, that was…interesting…"

"He has two semblances?"

"I didn't know that could happen…What do you think?"

"I think…That we might get a new friend soon…It shouldn't be hard to find him…"

* * *

 **City Streets (A Few Days Later)**

' _Kami damn it! I can't find anything useful in those books!'_ Naruto had a scowl on his face as he walked towards _A Simple Wok_. He really did not want to admit it, but he might be stuck. He was unable to find any leads in the library after two weeks of searching. _'At this rate, I will have to leave the city and start looking for leads somewhere else…'_

"Excuse me, do you have a minute?" Naruto blinked and turned towards the speaker.

It was a young woman with ashen-black hair and bright amber eyes. She had on a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, V-neck dress with yellow designs that ended with an upside-down triangle tail on the back, just above the knees. Around her neck was a black choker and she wore gold loop earrings with a black gem dangling from each along with a jeweled anklet on her right leg. Her choice of shoes were dark, glass high-heals.

Naruto turned and frowned slightly with his arms crossed. "Yeah?"

The woman smiled. "I was hoping I could get a chance to speak with you for a bit."

Something about that smile set Naruto on edge a bit, but it also gave a safe feeling. He slowly nodded. "That's…fine."

"Excellent. As thanks for speaking to me, I will treat you to dinner. There's this wonderful restaurant down the street…" Seeing the frown on his face deepen, she continued speaking. "Don't worry about the money, I was really hoping to talk to you."

"And why would you want to speak with me?"

She smiled again. "Why don't we talk about that while we eat?"

"…Lead the way…"

* * *

 **In the Restaurant**

Naruto had restrained himself from ordering anything too expensive and stuck to a relatively cheap item on the menu while the woman just ordered some wine. "So…what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked.

She didn't respond right away. "Well…I find myself curious about you…"

"Is that right?"

She nodded, her amber eyes never moving from his cerulean. "You have some…interesting abilities…"

Naruto stiffened before quickly relaxing again. "I'm not sure I catch your meaning…"

"I happened to be in the area when those Beowolves appeared a few days ago…"

"And…?"

"I am curious as to how someone so young is so powerful. That, and how you appear to have more than one semblance…"

Naruto frowned again. "Sorry, but I'm not going to be spilling my past or my abilities to a stranger."

Instead of reacting in a negative manner like he expected, the woman actually seemed _pleased_ with his response. "That's a good idea. It is never wise to reveal all your cards too early…"

Naruto was getting seriously confused by this woman. _'Didn't she want me to answer her questions?'_

"There's something else that I wanted to ask you…why didn't you step in to stop the dust store robbery that you witnessed? Given what I saw, it would have been simple of you to do so…"

He wasn't expecting that. "…You…know about that?"

She nodded. "Yes, I heard about it recently." Her eyes seemed to be able to pierce right through him. "So, why didn't you?"

"I…" Naruto looked away. What could he say? That deep down, he felt vindicated to see that woman get robbed? That he actually considered the words of a criminal?

"Was it because of how she treated you?" Naruto froze. "It was, wasn't it? Do you get that often? I'm not sure if you are a Faunus, and you don't have to tell me. You have those whisker marks, sure, but they could just be some unusual birthmarks…But some people don't even think about it, do they? They just treat you like dirt and whisper behind your back…"

Naruto wasn't able to say anything in response. _'She…She's right…'_

"Given that, it's only fair for some payback to come around, right?"

' _Is it?'_

The woman glanced over his outfit. "It looks like you've had some tough times recently…Where about your parents?" A flinch. "Oh, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have asked that. Let's change the subject. You have been spending a lot of time in the library, right? And if not that, then you often work at a nearby ramen stand? Do you not spend any time with friends? Do they not stick by your side when you get treated unfairly?"

Naruto flinched again. His hand moved to the hole in his tracksuit without him realizing it. The woman's eyes followed his movement and analyzed his response. "Oh, they tried to hurt you? Is that really a friend then?"

"S…Stop…" Naruto said quietly. _'But she's right! He isn't a friend! Only a traitor! And they haven't stuck by my side. They were all happy with their families while I was left alone! Some of them even laughed when I struggled!'_

"Would you like me to be your friend?" Naruto's head snapped around with wide eyes. "I want to be your friend, if that's okay with you. I promise to never betray you like the others did. It isn't fair that you have been treated like this…You are a great person. You didn't hesitate to jump in and save those children, completely ignoring the risk you put yourself at."

"Wha…"

She smiled at him. "You have been living in the park right? Do you not have anywhere to go? Would you like to come with me?"

Naruto's mind was slowly crumbling as the woman continued to speak. Everything she said was true, and he couldn't deny it. Even if he really wanted to. "Wh…Why?"

She laughed softly. "Well…we're friends, aren't we? And because I'm your friend, I am going to help you." Her expression saddened. "Do you not want to be my friend?"

Naruto swallowed and his eyes darted around. After a minute of silence, he took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly nodded. A small smile was on his face. Something about this woman just made him want to stick close. "Sure. I'd be happy to be your friend."

The sad look faded. "Great. Shall we get going? I think you would like to sleep in an actual bed for once…"

Naruto grinned and stood up with her. "That would be nice. Thanks…" He paused with a small frown as a thought came to him. "Um…"

She blinked. "Oh, I never introduced myself, did I? Please forgive me." Naruto shook his head with a grin.

"Don't worry about it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

She smiled again. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto. My name is Cinder. Cinder Fall."

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 1!**

 **Same rules apply here as with Twilight Key! I will set a minimum of 3k-4k words per chapter. Knowing myself, I will probably still get way more than that in each chapter. And like Twilight Key, I will post the word count progress for the next chapter on my profile along with any notes on when I will upload the chapter. (If there are any notes)**

 **Not sure what the upload cycle for this will be. Twilight Key is like once a week, but this? I guess we'll find out together, huh?**

 **I am in no way an all-knowing god when it comes to Naruto or RWBY. If I completely mess up in terms of how something works or say some wrong information, tell me! If I misuse something on purpose, I will normally say it in the AN. On that note, can fire dust be used for cooking?**

 **Most people seem to have Naruto be the same age as team RWBY, if not older. So I thought, Why not make him younger? Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer has a good one, but I can't think of any others off the top of my head.**

 **Aren't Beowolves super weak? I'm not going to have Naruto struggle to beat a few of them.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**

* * *

 **Shameless self-advertising!**

 _ **As the battle ends with no victors, a decision must be made. Someone is needed to protect the balance of the worlds from the threat that looms before it. This person will be chosen by Kingdom Hearts as a champion to defend the worlds from the threat. This person will be the chosen wielder of twilight.**_

 **Go read my other story, Twilight Key! It's a crossover between Naruto and Kingdom Hearts.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 2!**

 **This was out a lot sooner than I expected it to be, but I couldn't get the story out of my head.**

 **I saw it coming given the crossover categories, but wow. Over 100 follows by the next day? That's awesome! It took Twilight Key a little over a week to get that popular.**

 **I was hoping I wouldn't have to say it again, but I kinda expected it. OOC means out of character. So yeah, I didn't exactly have Naruto act 100% like he would in canon. Did I make him too easily influenced given his past? Sure, I can see that. But saying how canon Naruto would never have done something doesn't apply here. I still think it's an improvement over the people who have Naruto go off the deep end and turn insanely evil just from the Sasuke betrayal. At least I put some effort in it.**

 **Pairings…Right…That didn't slip my mind…Not at all…I** _ **totally**_ **have something planned…Yep…But really, I didn't even consider doing pairings. Can I do them…sure? I guess? Will I? I dunno. Do you guys want me to?**

 **The point in the timeline we are in is less than a year before canon starts. So consider everyone as their canon ages.**

 **Thorny Tangle by argentorum acts as a partial inspiration for this story. You guys should go check it out!**

 **I just noticed that my spell check is completely fucked on my laptop for some reason. I don't know if something happened when I got the new Word 2016 or it has always been like this, but I'm afraid to go back and do a really close reading for some of the Twilight Key chapters.**

* * *

 **Guest: I have something in mind to explain that, but I'm nowhere near where I need to be to for me to be able to use it.**

 **Monsieur La Critique: Is two days later fast enough?**

 **Neapolittan: I address the thing about "ttebayo" in the ending AN. Please bear with it for one more chapter.**

 **OBSERVER01: You might have already read it up above, but this is pretty much the canon timeline.**

 **Dark Natsu Dragneel: Pairings have never been something that I have put much thought into.**

 **avidreaded: A lot of things are possible, yeah. Will I do those possible things? It all depends on future me. That's his problem.**

 **Phantasm Reaper King: Fair point. I can't defend the stalking part much, but I go over that a bit more this chapter.**

 **Disturbed911: I appreciate your honesty with it and how you didn't resort to flaming. I get that I can't please everyone, but this is how I want to do the story. I did say he would be OOC in this story.**

 **Chase Network: You think so? Thinking back, you could be right. I'll try adjusting more for that in the future.**

 **Professor Clowitzer: Do I have to say it again?**

 **HellaDope: I kind of got tired of reading all these stories where Naruto was a Faunus, so I didn't make him one.**

 **Abrams 1559: He made clones, didn't he? :P**

 **Guest: OOC, people. Come on. And I talk about the transformation here.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

Ozpin frowned slightly into his mug as he read over the report of the recent Grimm attack in Vale. While he was relieved to hear that the Grimm were killed before any casualties or damage could be dealt, it was _how_ the Grimm were killed that caught his attention.

Or to be more exact, who killed the Grimm.

According to an officer who arrived on the scene, a boy who looked to be no older than thirteen was the one to fight the Grimm and protect the children who were in the park. And while the boy's clothes were damaged, there was no obvious sign of injury on him. It was not completely unheard of for people as young as thirteen to be able to kill a group of Grimm on his or her own, but the police were very quick to arrive on the scene and they still had only managed to see the aftermath. To top it all off, the boy appeared to have managed to kill all five Grimm with nothing but a normal kunai as his weapon.

Ozpin supposed the boy's apparent semblance had something to do with that…Which he then used to _flee the scene_. There was nothing he had done wrong in fighting off the Grimm, so why would the boy run away when the police arrived? That showed that he may have something he wanted to hide, something that most likely would have been noticed if taken in for questioning.

He sighed as he set his mug down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. While the fact that the boy had fled was extremely suspicious, Ozpin wasn't going to just immediately label him as some kind of threat. After all, there had to be at least _some_ good in him if he did not hesitate to put himself in danger to protect those children.

Light filtering in from the window and into his eyes made Ozpin look out the window. Seeing the sun rise over the horizon made prompted another sigh. _'Another sleepless night...I'm going to be hearing about this from Glynda...'_ If it wasn't for his coffee, Ozpin would have crashed long ago. His attention shifted towards his reflection.

Looking back at him was a middle aged man with tousled grey hair and thin brown eyes behind shaded glasses. His outfit consisted of a dark green with a purple cross emblem, a black suit worn over a buttoned vest and green undershirt, dark shoes, and dark green pants.

Ozpin brought his attention back to the report, considering what he should do about this. While he didn't _need_ to specifically do anything, he felt that he should at least look into this a bit more. If he later decided to get involved in some way, then so be it.

* * *

A small smirk formed on Cinder's face as her thoughts returned to the conversation she had the previous day and the results that came with it. She knew the moment she saw the blond boy easily defeat five Grimm the other day that it would be beneficial to bring him to her side.

A boy with two semblances? Both of which were highly useful in combat? There was no questioning his value. It would just be a matter of managing to convince him to join her.

After doing a bit of digging, Cinder was pleased with what she found. The more she learned about him, the more she was able to see that it may be possible for her to influence him. After having him watched from a distance for a couple days, she quickly learned that the boy spent much of his time in the local library -it was here that it was discovered the boy apparently gained the memories of his clones when they disappeared- and helping out at the ramen stand he frequented. The boy would then go to one of the local parks to sleep.

Hearing from Roman that a blond boy with whisker marks on his cheeks and a tattered orange tracksuit had done nothing but watch him rob a store, disregarding the initial intentions of the boy, told her that there was a very real chance that the boy may be swayed. She just needed to confirm a few things before she started to have him begin to trust her, and that just meant talking to him for a bit.

But she knew that she had to act quickly, otherwise someone else could come and bring him around to their side.

Deciding that time was of the essence and she was unlikely to learn any further critical information by simply watching him, Cinder approached the boy one night as he left the library and invited him to a meal with the pretense of wishing to speak with him. He was understandably hesitant about it, but relented in the end.

Cinder knew that she had to choose her words carefully while portraying the right demeanor, or else she wouldn't be able to have him react the way she wanted him to. Opening the conversation with stating that she was curious about him and his abilities, Cinder inquired about how someone so young was as strong as he was, along with how he seemed to have two semblances.

His refusal to answer her questions pleased her.

Not being open with his past and abilities showed that he wasn't stupid. It was extremely foolish to give out such information in public, and to a stranger no less. She couldn't count all the times that Roman has said too much while taunting his opponents. It was part of the reason that she was reluctant to give him further details on the plan. The answer the boy gave showed that he at least wasn't completely loose lipped.

Following the refusal to delve into his past, Cinder brought up Roman's store robbery. Seeing that he seemed to become conflicted when she asked why he didn't stop the theft, Cinder decided to test a theory. And it paid off.

The woman that was being robbed was well known in some circles for her great prejudice towards Faunus. The fact that the boy had those whisker marks on his cheeks gave him the appearance of a Faunus at first glance to some. Cinder played on this and brought up the treatment that the boy must have been given. His reaction was all the information she needed to confirm that he had experienced unfair treatment in the past.

This gave way to the slow process of unbalancing his mental state and thought process. She couldn't outright say that or tell him that it was okay to commit crimes, but she didn't need to. She only needed to have him consider her words. The next part of the conversation and how it went would depend greatly on how well she could emulate sincerity in her words and expressions.

Cinder had asked about his parents, knowing that he most likely didn't have any. When he flinched at the question instead of answering, she apologized and asked about his friends, earning an interesting reaction. The boy didn't even seem to realize that he had started to move his hand towards the hole in his tracksuit…or just how telling him doing so was.

She had to suppress an unbidden smirk when he grew even more distressed upon being asked if it was really a friend when they hurt him. Cinder had no problem admitting to herself that she took a moment to enjoy the sight of the boy growing more distressed and questioning the bonds he had. But while she used the moment to enjoy the view, she knew that this was the most important part of the interaction.

The boy _had_ to start questioning and mentally breaking off the friendships he had. That was another reason she needed to unbalance his mental state, to make him believe that he did not truly have any friends. When Cinder decided that she had an opportune moment to strike, she cast the bait of asking if he would like to be her friend. In his distressed and confused state, he was unable to process everything as well as he normally would have.

The final part of the interaction was getting him to go with her. This was fairly easier with the chaotic state his mind was in. Cinder's skill in changing her expression was tested again at this point, but it had all paid off.

Everything had gone as she had planned. She had managed to get him to further question his sense of right and wrong, discard his friendships, _and_ willingly go with her. Things had gone so well because she was able to twist his thoughts how she liked without telling him what to think. All of it had been done by saying things that forced him to question what he thought were absolute truths. And by being the one to help him come to these conclusions and offer her hand in friendship, Cinder was subconsciously now a trusted person to him. She had become like a lifeline on some level.

Now she just needed to convert him into her way of thinking and build up on the trust she had established.

After finally exchanging names, Cinder brought Naruto to a higher class apartment she had under a different name. When she had shown him a spare room and told him that he could stay there for as long as he needed, he had been understandably hesitant in accepting the offer. He eventually relented after saying he would pay her back in some way before plopping himself on the bed and instantly falling asleep.

It was now the next day and Cinder was the only one awake. She was sitting in the living room and using her scroll to look over some information a contact had sent her. Suddenly, a message popped up in the corner of the screen, indicating that someone was calling her. She took one glance at the name before answering the call and returning to her reading.

" _Good morning, Cinder!"_ A feminine voice said.

"Emerald." Cinder returned. "I suppose the assignment I gave you went well?" She asked.

" _Of course, no problems other than Mercury's presence."_

" _Whatever. You're just annoyed that I was the one to take out more enemies and win the contest."_ Interjected a second voice.

" _You cheated! Half of your score came from getting the last hit in on my opponents!"_

" _I'm sorry, did you say something? I can't hear you over the sound of my winning."_

" _You-!"_

Cinder cleared her throat and the two of them instantly silenced themselves. "Are the two of you quite finished?"

" _Yes, ma'am."_

" _Sorry about that."_

Nodding to herself, Cinder continued speaking. "So the mission was a success. Nice job. And you said there were no problems?"

" _None, ma'am. We went in, took out the targets, destroyed the objective as instructed, and left."_ Emerald said.

"And you are sure that there is no trail?"

It was Mercury that responded this time. _"Positive. We disabled all camera feeds in the area and didn't leave anything behind."_

A satisfied look crossed Cinder's face. "Excellent. That should tell our other…associates the dangers of crossing me. You two are allowed to relax. I will contact you if I need something."

" _Cool."_

" _Thank you…Um, Cinder?"_ Emerald asked.

Raising an eyebrow, Cinder responded. "Yes, Emerald?"

" _I was just curious; how did your recruitment go? Did you get the kid to join?"_ She asked.

Cinder glanced towards the hallway for a moment, a small smirk on her face. "I convinced him that I was a friend and got him to come with me. He does not have the right mindset yet, but it will happen with time."

" _Is this kid really worth it?"_ Mercury asked skeptically.

The smirk on Cinder's face grew. "Do you not remember what he was able to do? I have no doubts that he will be useful." She paused when she heard the sound of movement nearby. "I have to go. It seems our new friend is awake."

" _Alright, talk to you later!"_

" _Got it."_ Cinder ended the call before turning her head to Naruto as he hesitantly walked in.

* * *

 **In the Other Room**

Cerulean eyes cracked open as Naruto woke up, but slowly closed again. _'Tired…Don't want to get up…Sleeping in bed better…'_ All of five seconds went by before Naruto's eyes snapped back open and he shot into an upright position. _'Where the hell am I?'_ His mind went back to the conversation he had yesterday with Cinder. He looked around. _'Oh, right. Cinder is letting me use this room.'_ A small smile appeared on his face as he remembered his new friend.

Deciding to get up now that he was fully alert from his moment of panic, Naruto got out of the bed and walked out the door. As he made his way towards the living room, he heard Cinder talking to someone, but the conversation ended as he got closer. As he entered the room, he scanned it to locate the other people. Looking back at Cinder, he spotted the device he had in her hand. _'She must have been talking on that scroll thing.'_ It was extremely confusing for him at first when he learned that the device had the same name as the things people used back in his world for item storage. Naruto was about to walk further into the room, but a wave of nervousness hit him.

What if she regretted offering her friendship and letting him stay here?

His worries were put to rest when Cinder turned to him with a small smile on her face. "Morning, Naruto. Did you sleep well?" She asked.

Naruto grinned back. "Yeah, it was great! Thanks for letting me sleep here. That was the best night of sleep I've had in a while."

She frowned slightly. "That's probably because you've been sleeping in a tree recently." He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle. Cinder shook her head in amusement. "No matter. Are you hungry? I haven't had breakfast yet, so we can eat together."

Although that sounded extremely appealing to him, Naruto looked uneasy. "I don't want to be even more of a burden. I'm already really grateful for doing this much to help me."

"I told you not to worry about it. I'm actually a little better off than most, so it isn't placing a burden on me to do this. Plus, I want to." She got up and walked towards the kitchen while waving him over. "Now come on. I don't really have much here, but cereal is fine, right?"

Naruto frowned, but slowly nodded. "That's fine with me…" He trailed after her and they were soon sitting at the table. "So, how do you want me to repay you for this?" He asked.

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "You are really adamant on that, aren't you?"

"Of course-ttebayo!" He frowned and looked down in thought. "I can pay rent…But I need a job…"

She sighed. "Rent would be fine, but I get to choose the amount." She looked him in the eye. "No arguing that. I can use my rooms however I want. That includes the price of them."

"Fine…" He would just have to look at this as a really affordable place to live. "And for a job…"

"Why don't you do missions?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "As in the missions that Huntsmen do? Those?" A nod. "Don't I need to be a Huntsman?" The thought of doing a mission or two for some money had occurred to him in the past, but he never did any, not that he could. Not only was he not a Huntsman, but he was also too young. Sure he could transform, but he would still need to have the documents to perform the mission.

Cinder smiled at him. "While it is true that you won't be able to do many missions, there are still others out there that allow for someone who isn't a fully-fledged Huntsman or Huntress. I know some people, so I can get you some of those missions, and you can use them to pay me back." No need to tell him that some parts of what she was planning could be considered less than legal.

A grimace filtered across the blond's face. "Uh…I don't exactly…have any official documentation…Don't I need that?" He said.

A black eyebrow raised in question. "You don't?"

"…No…" He looked away.

"Is that why you ran from the police the other day?" Naruto nodded. "I understand. No, not necessarily. I can help you do missions anonymously if you want, but you should still get some documentation. I'll take care of that for you." He looked back in surprise. "Like I said, I know some people who can help. Something like this shouldn't be a problem to fix. I won't ask you why you don't, but I will still need you to answer some questions to fill out the forms. We can do this without getting attention from people who will throw a fit about it. You know how some big wigs are." She finished with a smirk.

Naruto grinned back before a questioning look crossed his face. "What kind of missions will I be doing?" He didn't look too deeply into missions.

Cinder considered the question. "Well, there are different types. I'll let you chose what you want, but some of the missions range from rescue, elimination of grimm, defending targets or locations, bounties of criminals, and escort missions."

Sounded a lot like the mission system back in Konoha. "Okay…" He could probably do most of those.

"But we have to take into consideration how some people may react to seeing someone as young as you do missions, so we will have to be careful as to what missions we pick. But you should have more freedom after getting a reputation for yourself."

"Got it."

Cinder smiled before looking over his outfit. "But if you are going to be taking missions, then you need to look the part. Once we are done eating, we are going to be getting you some new clothes. I know a place that has combat oriented clothing. And before you protest me paying for this," She cut him off when he opened his mouth. "The sooner you start doing missions, the sooner you can pay me back."

Naruto slumped. "…Fine…"

* * *

 **Clothing Store (A Little Later)**

"Are you sure this will look good on me, Cinder?" Naruto asked from inside the changing room. The two of them had left the apartment and Naruto followed Cinder as she led him to a clothing store she knew of.

"Yes, Naruto. I'm sure of it. Why, do you not like it?" How much fashion sense did a kid who ran around in an orange tracksuit have?

"No, no, it's great! It's just…"

Cinder quirked an eyebrow as he trailed off. "It's just…?" She prompted.

"I was kind of hoping for more orange…" Was he pouting?

"While some orange is fine, having an entire outfit with nothing but orange is a bit much, Naruto. I already relented with the amount I gave you. Now would you please come out and show me?"

She heard him sigh. "Fine…" The curtain pulled back and Cinder couldn't help the smirk that appeared. She did a fantastic job. "I feel a little weird in this…"

Naruto's new outfit was entirely dark grey. It consisted of a military vest with multiple pockets, pants, and hooded, long-sleeved top. His sandals had been traded in for black shoes. Naruto also had on a pair of black gloves with metal plating on the back. His necklace was tucked under his shirt. Cinder's smirk fell a bit when she spotted what he was wearing on his head.

"Is there a reason that you are still wearing that headband?" She asked him.

Naruto blinked before reaching up and taking it off. He smiled at it. "I'm used to wearing it. Plus, this is what everyone where I'm from wears. Well, not everyone, I guess…"

Cinder quirked an eyebrow. "But why do you refuse to take it off?"

A small frown formed on his face. "Why would I? I'm proud to be able to wear it. This is the symbol of my home. To not wear it is like breaking off all the attachments and bonds I have with everyone there."

She frowned a bit. "The same bonds that they already trampled all over?" Naruto froze. "Naruto…I just don't think it's worth cherishing if they won't do the same…" She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "They don't deserve that kind of devotion to you after everything that's happened…"

Naruto looked at her with wide eyes. _'But…That's…'_ He looked down at the object in his hand. _'…Is she right?'_ A small sense of resentment bubbled from deep within him. He has always done his best to please everyone in Konoha and what has it gotten him? Nothing. He's even fought with his life on the line to protect it and people still gave him wary looks and avoided him. Why should he cherish something like this when they irrationally fear him because of the Kyūbi?

A small scowl formed on his face, but he was still reluctant to get rid of it. It was given to him by Iruka! He didn't doubt that bond. Cinder's frown deepened slightly when she noticed the he was still hesitating. Deciding not to push her luck, she spoke up. "I'm not telling you that you have to get rid of it, but think about what I said." She paused as an idea came to her. With a small smile, she opened the small bag she had with her. From it, she pulled out a red cloth with a pattern on it that was of the same style as the one she had on her outfit. She held it out to him. "Plus, I think _this_ would look much better with your outfit. Why don't you tie it on like a headband?" She asked. Naruto looked at the item with wide eyes. He glanced between it and the forehead protector, unable to make a decision. Knowing just what to say, Cinder spoke up again while plastering a worried and slightly hurt look onto her face. "Do...Do you not like it? I understand if-" She began with a hurt tone.

The blond's eyes widened even further in panic and he shook his head rapidly. "No, no! It's great! I'm...I'm just surprised about it...You're doing so much for me and giving so much..."

She smiled at him. "Well, we're friends. I don't need much of a reason more than that to help, right?" This answer stunned him into silence.

After a minute, a slow smile crept onto Naruto's face and he nodded. "Right." Pocketing the forehead protector, Naruto took the cloth from her and tied it around his head. Cinder was grinning widely on the inside when she saw this. It would seem that she was making more progress in having him sever all attachments and bonds he had. She slipped a small smile onto her face when Naruto looked back to her. He soon grinned back.

Cinder nodded. "Well, going back to your outfit, it looks great on you. You have nothing to worry about."

Naruto looked into a nearby mirror to inspect his appearance. After a moment, he smiled again. "Well, I guess I do look pretty cool in this…"

"I agree."

* * *

 **Cinder's Place (One Week Later)**

"I received the first list of missions that are available for you to take. As I had said, there isn't anything too serious here. You will need to build up a reputation for yourself if you want to start getting harder ones." Cinder said. She and Naruto were sitting across from each other at the table. She pressed something on her scroll. "I sent the information to your scroll."

She had bought a scroll for Naruto the other day when she realized it would be better for him to have one. He initially protested like every other time she tried to do something for him or give him something, but he eventually relented. What Cinder was slightly confused about was how he seemed completely new to using a scroll. It was like he never held one before.

Naruto nodded and looked down at his scroll. After some hesitation, he selected the file Cinder just sent him and opened it. He withheld a sigh of relief from being able to do so on his first try. Looking over the list, he frowned a bit. "You really weren't joking, were you? There isn't much here…"

"It isn't too terrible. There are a few Grimm elimination missions on there, but nothing worse than a moderately sized pack or two of Beowolves. It shouldn't take you too long to start getting harder missions, even more so if you are fast in completing the ones you have." She looked at the list. "Which one do you think you will start with?"

He considered his options. "I think I'm going to go with that elimination mission you mentioned, something simple. It's just to clear up some of the Beowolves that have been inching closer to the residential districts on the north side of the city, so I should be able to finish it quickly."

Cinder nodded. "I'll make sure the person who issued the mission knows that someone accepted the mission." She paused. "Have you decided on whether or not you want to do this under your name?"

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms as he thought about it. "I don't really see why I should. Is there a benefit to doing this anonymously?"

' _It would be beneficial for my plans, yes.'_ She spoke up. "I think you should."

He blinked in surprise. "You do?"

"Yes. It would be better for you to not be traceable for two reasons. The first is that if people find out that someone your age is taking missions it might cause some…annoyances."

A blond eyebrow went up. "How so?"

"Well, you of course know of Signal Academy? As well as Beacon?" A nod.

"Most people your age are still in Signal, not taking missions. That is normally left for Beacon Academy students, and they are usually at least seventeen years of age. If someone who is thirteen grows a reputation of completing missions, people will start to notice."

"…Ok. And the other reason?"

"Naruto, you have two semblances." Naruto stilled. "Don't you think that people will start asking questions when they see you move at impossible speeds _and_ create clones?"

Naruto looked away. _'I forgot about that…People here only have one ability, but I have all of my shinobi skills…'_ He sighed. "You're right, it would be better for me not to be traceable." He pouted. "But that means I can't wear my awesome outfit outside of missions…"

Cinder's lip shifted into a small smile. "No, I suppose you can't. But that's why we got you other outfits." She wasn't going to let him own only one outfit. He had worn the outfit with the fox on the back the day he bought it before setting it aside to make sure it wasn't damaged before his first mission. But the cloth she had given to him was still tied around his head.

A thought came to Naruto. "Maybe I can go back to wearing my forehead protector while on missions?" She pondered.

He didn't notice the small twitch of Cinder's eye. She wanted to say that he shouldn't, but she could not think of a way to convince him not to this time.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. But I need a way to hide my features…I guess I can wear the hood to cover my hair, but how can I hide my face?" While he could just transform to disguise himself, that would be a pain to keep up on long missions. Plus, it could be dispelled if he was hit hard enough to make him lose concentration. Cinder pondered the question for a moment.

"You can wear some kind of mask. It doesn't have to cover your entire face, but it should cover your whisker marks at least."

Naruto's mind went back to a certain silver haired jōnin. "I think I know a good mask…"

"Good, we can get it later. I'm going to inform the client now, are you sure this is the mission you want?"

He didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah, it's fine. This is a great first mission. Sure, I wouldn't mind if it was a little grander, but I'll get there." _'It's a heck of a lot better than the D-ranks I used to do…'_

"Wonderful. We will get the mask later today. You will need to report to the client tomorrow morning." She smirked. "I would say good luck, but I honestly don't think you need it."

Naruto grinned at her. "You got that right!"

* * *

 **Edge of Forever Fall (The Next Day)**

Naruto slowly approached the designated location that he was supposed to meet his client at. He was decked out in his new outfit, but now he also had on a metallic mask that matched his outfits colors, but only covered the bottom half of his face.. His hood was also up. Double checking the address, Naruto knocked on the door.

He only had to wait a minute before it was pulled open, revealing an older man with greying hair who was wearing a black t-shirt and brown pants. His arm was in a sling. The man eyed him suspiciously. "Who the hell are you, brat?"

Naruto frowned behind his mask. "I'm the person who took up your mission." He paused in thought for a moment. "Just call me Kitsune." The frown deepened when the man snorted.

"And I'm Pyrrha Nikos." Naruto had no idea who that was. The man turned and made to close the door. "Get lost, kid. I don't have time for your stupid jokes. There's no way a runt like you is the person who took the mission. You would be killed in that forest." Naruto grit his teeth out of agitation.

"How about a bet then?" This made the man pause.

"Oh? What kind of bet?"

Naruto looked him in the eye. "I go in there, kill the designated Beowolves, and report back with their heads as proof before they completely dissolve. I do it, you pay me double the expected pay."

The man sneered. "And what do I get out of this?"

After a moment of thought, Naruto took off his necklace and showed it to him. "You get this. This necklace is one of a kind. It could easily be sold for millions of Lien. You'd be rich instantly." The man was eyeing the gem with a hungry look. Naruto slipped it back on. "I'm guessing you normally do this job yourself? But you can't now due to your injury?"

The man slowly nodded. "Yeah. I normally go out with a couple of friends and do it. But I'm hurt this time and they are out of town. What of it?"

"Then that would mean you would have no problem going into the forest later on to retrieve the necklace from my corpse if I happen to die in there, right?" This question stunned the man. After a moment, Naruto got a smirk in return.

"Yeah, you'd be right about that. I would have no problem going in there any picking up my prize."

Naruto nodded. "Good. Then do we have ourselves a bet?" He offered his hand.

"Ha! We do indeed. Try to at least put up a fight before you die in there." The blond scowled before turning and starting to walk towards the forest. "Hey, kid!" Naruto paused and looked back. "You bring back one that's still alive and I will triple the pay!"

"…Why do you need a living one?"

The man shrugged. "The fur of the Beowolves can be collected for some later use. But it dissolves along with the rest of the body when the thing is killed, so it has to be collected while it is still alive."

"…Fine." Naruto turned and continued walking away. Once he was far enough into the forest that he couldn't be seen from the cabin, Naruto jumped into a branch and proceeded to tree hop to the location that the pack was supposed to be. Going at the speeds he was going at, he was able to get to the area within ten minutes.

He came to stop on a branch of a tree that was on the edge of a large clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing was the pack of Beowolves. After taking a single look at the pack, a thought came to Naruto's mind.

' _Moderate size my ass. That's at least forty Beowolves!'_ Naruto sighed heavily as the Grimm picked up on his presence and turned towards him with growls. Slipping out a kunai and creating some clones, Naruto spoke up. "Okay, would the first volunteer please step forward to get beheaded?"

* * *

 **Back at the Cabin (Twenty Minutes Later)**

Knock! Knock! The man frowned heavily from his seat when he heard the knock on his door. "Who the hell is it now?" It couldn't be that kid, there was no _way_ he survived a Beowolf pack that big! Knock! Knock! "Give me a second!" Muttering under his breath, the man got up and walked over to the door. He started to speak as he opened it. "I already told the last cop that I didn't…have…any…thing…" He slowly trailed off at the sight before him.

The kid from before was standing in front of him, whole and unhurt. Behind him were over forty identical copies of the boy, each holding…His jaw dropped when he saw the smoking heads of the slain Beowolves. He slowly looked back to the one in front of him. He couldn't see it, but he could just _feel_ the smirk on the brat's face.

Seeing that he had his attention, Naruto spoke up. "Well, I brought killed the pack and brought back proof. I think it's safe to say I won the bet…" He motioned for the clones to move aside. They did so, revealing a tied up and knocked out Beowolf behind the small crowd. "And I even got you the living one." He crossed his arms. "So, do I get my triple pay?"

The man just stared at him. After a minute, he laughed uncontrollably. "Hahahaha! I like you, kid! Sure, I'll pay you triple the price. You mind bringing the knocked out one to the back? I'll get to it right after this." Naruto nodded and quickly formed clones to transport it. The man raised an eyebrow. "Nice semblance, kid. You're definitely a lot stronger than I was when I was your age. Heck, I dropped out of Signal before I even got half way through." He turned away. "Give me a second to grab the money…"

Naruto nodded and turned away as he waited. The clones holding heads had already dispelled, leaving nothing but nearly completely dissolved Beowolf heads all over the ground. After a minute, Naruto heard footsteps behind him. "You got the money?" He turned and paused when he saw the gun leveled at his face.

"Yeah, I got it. But like hell I'm about to pay some fucking brat!" The man grinned as he pulled the trigger. Bang! The grin quickly fell when instead of falling to the ground as a corpse as he expected, Naruto exploded into a cloud of smoke. "What the hell?" He muttered.

"Hey! We had a bet and I won! Don't get all pissed off that you lost." The man spun around when he heard a voice come from behind him. Naruto was standing there with his arms crossed, looking completely unhurt.

The man growled. "Welcome to the real world, brat! Why the hell should I pay you when I can just kill you now and take that necklace?"

Naruto smirked. "Then go ahead and try to kill me. But it would be pointless…" The man raised his hand to aim it at him. Bang! The man scowled again when that Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke as well. "That was just a clone." The man turned his head to see another Naruto standing a few feet away. He made to turn around so he could aim at him. Bam! Before he could even get more than half way turned, Naruto rushed at him and delivered a punch to the gut. The strike loosened the man's grip on the gun enough to have him drop it. Naruto walked up to it and inspected it. This was the first time he had seen a gun in person.

Coughing up a storm and clutching his gut with his good hand, the man attempted to get to his feet. "You…you have _two_ semblances?" He coughed again. "How can you create clones _and_ move that fast?"

Naruto grinned. "I'm just special that way."

"You fucking brat! I'll kill you!" The man's form started to glow as he drew on his aura. "I'll enjoy hearing you scream for mercy!" A thrust of his hand created a fireball that shot at Naruto.

Seeing the danger, Naruto simply stepped to the side. _'Wow, he sucks. That thing was so freaking slow. The teme's fireballs would outstrip that thing easy…'_ He spoke up. "Do you have any training at all? That was sucked so bad."

"Shut up! Just die!" Another fireball was dodged.

"No thanks. I like living. Whoops!" Naruto ducked as another fireball shot at his head. "Hey, I think you're getting better! I almost felt the heat from that one!" This served to infuriate the man even more.

"You! Damn! Brat!" He raised his hand up. A larger fireball was soon charging up in it. He leveled it at Naruto. "Dodge this one!" He fired it.

Naruto had to admit that this fireball _was_ both larger and faster than the others, but at the same time, it was still not enough. Taking a quick glance behind him, Naruto grinned and moved out of the way. The man's eyes widened in horror when he saw that the fireball was instead about to hit something else…

His house. Boom!

Naruto whistled. "Wow, that sucks. You should be more careful…"

The man slowly turned his gaze to Naruto. "You…You…You'll pay for that…"

The blond shook his head. "No, I actually won't. By the way, do you think it was a good idea to start a forest fire?" The man's eyes widened in alarm and his head shot towards the forest…which was now burning. Naruto held a hand to his ear as sirens were heard nearby. "I think that's my cue to get out of here." Police cars and fire trucks were now within sight. "For the record, this was all your fault." He dashed away.

* * *

 **Cinder's Place (Later)**

Cinder raised an eyebrow as Naruto finished telling her how his first mission had gone. "So the client attempted to kill you?"

"Yeah. He didn't think I would be able to do the mission. So when I returned, he thought that he could get out of paying by killing me." Why did he have such terrible luck with missions? It seemed like he never got a mission that _didn't_ go wrong in some way.

"And to top it all off, you didn't get paid." She added.

"Now who said that?" Naruto grinned before pulling out a stack of bills from his pocket.

Cinder blinked in surprise. "Where did you get that?"

Naruto grinned widely. "The asshole had asked me to move the living Beowolf out back, remember? Those clones hadn't dispelled yet when he started to attack me. They were waiting for him to come around to confirm that the Beowolf was in the right place. When they heard the fight going on, they took it upon themselves to…make sure payment was received." He sighed. "I finished the mission, I got the money, but I didn't make a reputation for myself."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that…" Naruto tilted his head when he heard that. Looking at Cinder, he saw a smirk on her face. She showed him an article on her scroll. "The man was arrested for arson soon after you left. When questioned, it was quickly discovered that it happened due to a fight between him and someone else." She looked him in the eye. "Someone who was able to move at superhuman speeds _and_ create clones of himself. This mysterious person was able to slay a pack of forty Beowolves and return without a scratch within half an hour."

A grin was spreading across Naruto's face as he read the article. "Hell yeah! I'm such a badass-ttebayo!" He looked to Cinder. "How long do you think until I will be doing other missions?"

Cinder considered the question. "It shouldn't be too long. Maybe a month or two at most. Things should start picking up soon."

Naruto grinned. He was absolutely looking forward to doing other missions.

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 2!**

 **This took longer to finish than I anticipated it would, especially for the length of it. I don't mean how long it took me to get it out, I mean how long it took to type. And I don't like the second half of it very much.**

 **Do any of you know if Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury are actual Haven students or just pretending? I can't recall any confirmation and the Wiki doesn't have anything concrete either. I would like to know so I can plan accordingly.**

 **I asked this in Twilight Key a while ago, and I'll do it again here. Do you guys want me to drop "-ttebayo?" I have it now as something he says when he is excited or yelling, but should I just stop it completely? I don't really care whichever way.**

 **I fucking hate making outfits. It's so annoying. That and OCs. And there is a reason why the descriptions for the outfit sucks so bad. I had to come back and change it to something I really didn't know how to describe. Here are the links. (Remove spaces and replace "dot" with ".")**

 **img3 dot wikia dot nocookie dot net /_ cb20120422032758 / residentevil / images / 0 / 06 / Umbrella – vector . jpg**

 **www dot animecharactersdatabase dot com / character dot php ? id = 73055**

 **That fight at the end wasn't really meant to be a fight. I had the man mention it, but he didn't even finish Signal. So yeah, I made him weak.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	3. Chapter 3

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 3!**

 **God damn it! I was so close to getting this out a week after the last one!**

 **This took longer to get out than I had expected. While finals didn't help, I'm also lazy. For me, the hardest part of writing fanfiction is starting the writing session. Once I start -and there are no distractions- I could go nonstop for up to like 10 hours sometimes. It just takes me forever to stop being lazy and start. Not only that, I got pulled into some other stuff today…But waiting until today to write this was still my fault.**

 **I said it in the ending AN last time, I** _ **really**_ **don't care for making outfits. I don't really consider myself to be a creative person, so I just used what I know works. This carried over to picking out a name. If you guys don't like it, feel free to leave your own outfit descriptions and names in the reviews! I am not against going back to change it. I will probably even do so.**

 **I didn't forget about how Iruka gave him the forehead protector, I just didn't give it much thought until people started pointing it out repeatedly. I went back to edit the scene and added something that makes it better (I hope).**

 **Got it. I'll drop "-ttebayo" from any and all use.**

 **Thinking about it some more and rechecking my facts, Ruby is a whole lot faster than Naruto. Shouldn't even have made that comparison. However, I'm still keeping it where Naruto is faster than most. It doesn't matter if the data books gave him a mediocre score, that's in comparison to other shinobi. The people of Remnant aren't shinobi, therefore aren't as fast. Not only that, he at the very least was able to outrun a bunch of chūnin at this age.**

* * *

 **Misha: I don't really care about the outfits. I am thinking of going back to change it though. Also, you didn't misread it. I have him younger than them.**

 **Neapolittan: That's what confuses me, I can't tell how old she is. At first, I thought she was older than something around 17-20, but then she poses as a student, so I was confused. And read this chapter for the weapon stuff. :P**

 **CommentQuestion: One thing that has always bothered me about the way I write is how long I take for things to happen. If I don't stop myself, I really will stretch out stuff that should take 1 or 2 chapters into like 5 (And I've been called out on it, too). I'm trying to prevent that in this story, but I think it may hinder some of the stuff I write.**

 **Monsieur La Critique: I didn't put much effort into the outfit or name because I am not against using clichés when I think it works. And sorry about the later update.**

 **hachinonana: The fact that you react like that means I'm portraying it how I want. :P**

 **Azariah Kyras: Ugh! Long ass review! But thanks for the feedback! I take pride in my bearable grammar and spelling. Exploring new areas** _ **is**_ **something I'm planning a bit. And the character interactions…I can do that. I'll attempt to have some more in the future. Unfortunately, this chapter was already done by the time I read this review, but I will attempt to do so in the future.**

 **Havic101: No big spoilers here, sorry!**

 **InfernoOfChaos: Eh…I sort of agree with you, but I still like what I have…But that is a part that I have frequently considered redoing in the past…**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Cinder's Place (Two Weeks Later)**

Naruto sighed as he stared at the ceiling from his bed. It has been about two weeks since Naruto's first mission, and he has thrown himself into taking others since then. He still didn't get anything of significance, but he knew that he had to build his reputation up. In order to speed up the process a bit, he started to take missions every day, but he was taking so many missions at a fast rate, that Cinder actually told him to tone it down a bit and take a break. Although he was reluctant to do so, he eventually gave in after she gave him a _look_. The mere memory of the look was enough to make a shiver run down his spine.

It wasn't like he was trying to overwork himself, he just really wanted to pay her back. He was still extremely grateful for everything she had done for him and had already started to pay her back somewhat by giving her some of his pay for each mission, but he still felt like he owed her somewhat.

The problem was that now Cinder had denied him from taking him any missions for the day, so he was at a loss as to how he was going to spend his time. Thinking back, ever since he had arrived in this world, he had spent all of his time looking for a way back or helping out at _A Simple Wok_.

Naruto paused. After a moment, his eyes widened. _'I haven't had any ramen in two weeks!'_ He immediately sprang to his feet and was rushing towards the door.

Cinder quirked an eyebrow at him as he left. "What has you in such a hurry? I know you aren't going out on a mission…"

He stopped moving towards the door and turned to look at her. "I'm heading to _A Simple Wok_. I haven't had any ramen in two weeks!"

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Oh, that is tragic. Be sure to not cause any trouble." She said good naturedly.

He huffed with an indignant expression, but the smile on his face gave him away. "Cinder! How could you think such a thing? I would never cause trouble."

"What about that bully you saw in the park the other day?"

Naruto didn't even bother trying to hide the smirk on his face. "He completely deserved it."

"He will most likely harbor a phobia to blonds for the rest of his life."

He shrugged. "Meh. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." He turned away and continued towards the door. "See you later."

"Bye."

* * *

 **A Simple Wok**

"Well, look who it is. I thought you forgot all about me, kid." Jack grinned at Naruto as he entered the stand.

Naruto grinned back before responding. "This is the second best ramen I know. I wouldn't forget about it so easily."

Jack's grin immediately fell and turned into a fierce glare. "You're lying! I don't care what you say. There is no way that there is a place out there that serves better ramen than the stuff I make! You're just lying about it." He turned away. "And nothing you say will make me believe otherwise."

The blond was extremely amused by this claim. Every time Naruto brought up Ichiraku and how it was better than _A Simple Wok_ , Jack would react in the same way. Denial, anger, and then turning around to make some ramen to prove that his was better, all while muttering to himself the entire time. "Sure, sure. Believe what you want."

"You stupid brat. I'll make you eat those words and then…" Ah, there was the muttering.

After a moment, Jack shook his head and turned back to Naruto. "I saw it the last time I you were here, but you sure look a hell of a lot better than when I first met you. Good to see you aren't constantly wearing those rags from before." Naruto blinked before looking down at his outfit.

He was wearing a high collar dark orange vest that was black on the sides. It had a green pattern that began in a circular design on his chest before lines shot off towards the bottom of the vest. It also had two straps that crossed over his chest. The Uzumaki swirl was on his back in the same green color. On his left arm was a black arm warmer and a dark orange brace. His pants were black and had dark orange straps around his upper thighs. Naruto's choice of shoes were some black boots with silver buckles. He finished off his outfit with the headband that Cinder gave him.

Naruto had to admit, despite his initial reservations, he definitely liked the new outfit better than his old tracksuit. He looked back to Jack with a grin. "Yeah, I like it a lot."

Jack nodded. "It suits you." He turned away again. "You want the same as usual, right?" A confirmation made Jack grin. "Alright, leave it to me!" He started preparing the food in his usual flashy manner. Naruto grinned as he watched the show. It was always entertaining to watch Jack cook. His performance was even a small local attraction. Jack enjoyed putting on a show for the customers and the pleasure he saw made it worth it.

The tips didn't hurt either.

As Naruto watched the flames dance and cook the food, someone else entered the stand and took a seat next to him. Naruto didn't pay the newcomer any mind as he just waited for his ramen. Jack glanced back to see who had come in and his eyes widened a fraction when he identified the man.

As he turned back, he addressed the man. "Well, I must say, this is a surprise. You haven't come here in a while." Naruto blinked in minor surprise at the fact that Jack knew this person before taking a quick glance at the person next to him. He was greeted with the sight of a middle aged man with grey hair wearing a suit.

The man sent a small smile to Jack. "It occurred to me that I haven't stopped by in a while, so I did. How have you been, Jack?"

Jack smirked. "Pretty good. It has been pretty peaceful lately…well, unless this brat is here." He thumbed towards Naruto, who just rolled his eyes.

The man smiled. "You shouldn't insult your customers like that. What will people think if the cook is rude to them?"

"If they can't deal with a little humor, that's their problem. Anyways, what do you want, Ozpin? The usual? And is it not a problem for you to be away from work in the middle of the day?" Jack asked.

The man, Ozpin, nodded with a smile. "Yes, that sounds good. As for if I should be here now…I am sure that my colleagues can handle whatever problems that may arise."

Jack scoffed, but didn't pursue the topic. "Sure, coming right up. Just let me finish this bowl first…" He channeled some aura and the fire dust began to glow. With a little dust manipulation, a vortex of flames was created and sent at the ramen. Jack scooped up a portion of it and poured it into a bowl before giving it to Naruto. "Here you go." His smirk grew. "Prepare to admit this is the best ramen you've ever had."

With a wide grin, Naruto took his first bite. A hum of satisfaction escaped his mouth as he tasted the ramen. He swallowed before speaking up. "Your ramen gets better and better every time, but I still gotta say Ichiraku is ahead by just a _bit_."

A low growl came from Jack as he scowled. "That's impossible! My ramen is perfection incarnate!" Ozpin just watched the interaction with an amused look on his face.

"Your ramen is good, true. But you don't have that final push that makes it the best."

"Tch." He turned back the stove. "Whatever. I'll have you admit my ramen is the best, just you wait." He got out a new pot and glanced back to Ozpin. "Sorry about that, Ozpin. Just something the kid and I have going."

Ozpin smiled and waved it off. "It isn't a problem. I know how prideful you are of your delicious ramen." Jack nodded and got to work. Ozpin turned to Naruto, who had returned to his bowl. "Hello, I am Professor Ozpin. Pleasure to meet you."

Naruto took another gulp of his ramen before placing his bowl down and quickly wiping his mouth. He grinned at the man. "Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He quickly returned to his ramen after saying his name, eliciting another amused look from Ozpin.

* * *

Ozpin discreetly took in the appearance of the boy next to him. After doing some further research, he was fairly confident that the boy, Naruto, was the boy who had fought off the Grimm a few weeks ago and defended the kids.

Because he wasn't there to get a firsthand look of the boy's appearance, it had taken a little longer for him to comb through all of the blonds in the city. While the description of his outfit helped somewhat, Naruto had stopped wearing it a few weeks ago.

After a few days of searching, Ozpin had learned that someone matching Naruto's description was a frequent visitor of the city's main library as well as _A Simple Wok_. Ozpin had followed up on these leads, only to learn that the boy hadn't stopped by them recently. This meant that he was at a dead end in his search.

Despite knowing Jack for many years, he had never asked him about Naruto. This was because Ozpin was someone who liked to keep his plans a to himself unless he needed to share them. Asking Jack would mean that it became obvious that he had taken an interest in Naruto, but after a couple weeks of fruitless searching, Ozpin decided it would be best to simply cut his losses and ask Jack.

Imagine his surprise when he saw a blond boy sitting at the counter and waiting for his ramen. Ozpin knew right away that this was the person that he was searching for. Being cautious in his approach, Ozpin walked up to the counter and took a seat. After a small chat with Jack and ordering his food, Ozpin was finally successful in learning the boy's name.

Taking a moment of contemplation, Ozpin decided upon his course of action. He turned back towards the counter and spoke up. "You know Jack, it still surprises me that you choose to work here so often. Years ago, I never would have thought that you would take a break and relax from your normal activities." Naruto blinked in interest at this.

Jack raised an eyebrow when he heard the comment from Ozpin, but he didn't question it. "Yeah, I never would have thought it either, but I enjoy it. It's a big difference from what I was used to, though." Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

Ozpin smiled. "Of course. I have no doubts there. Do you still keep up with everyone and everything?"

The cook shrugged. "For the most part, yeah. It isn't like I've fallen off the grid or anything. I still talk to them once in a while, not to mention I am sure to be at least mostly in the loop." He frowned. "I don't always like what I hear, though…"

Ozpin sighed. "Yes, I am afraid I must agree. Between the White fang and the Grimm, there is often some bad news…" A small smile filtered across his face. "Although I heard something interesting a couple weeks ago."

"Oh?" Jack glanced back for a moment. He was interested to see where Ozpin was going with this. "And what would that be?"

"Did you hear about the Grimm attack in the park a few weeks ago? Up in the northern edge of the city?" Ozpin asked. When he noticed the small flinch from Naruto out of the corner of his eye, his smile grew.

"I heard a bit. The Grimm were killed before anything bad could happen, right?" He finished the bowl and served it to Ozpin. "What's so interesting about that? Besides the fact that first responders were even faster than usual?" After a glance at Naruto's empty bowl, he took it and refilled it.

Ozpin nodded in both thanks and confirmation. "Yes, but the interesting part is that it apparently wasn't the police that killed the Grimm, even though they _were_ incredibly fast." Naruto was now busying himself with his ramen.

Jack raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Is that right? Then who was it? Some huntsman that happened to be there or something?" He got a shake of the head in return.

"That's what I thought too when I first heard about it, but I learned it wasn't. Apparently, it was a boy."

"A boy." Jack frowned a bit. "And? It was some trainee, right?"

"That would be the obvious conclusion, and it may very well be true, but it still impresses me at how _quickly_ he handled the situation. Not only that, but the boy's choice of weapon was strange."

"And that would be?"

Ozpin's smile threatened to grow as he could practically _feel_ the tension from the boy next to him. "The boy was armed with nothing but a normal kunai and his semblance. With just these, he was able to dispose of five grim within two minutes."

Jack blinked in surprise. "That fast? And with such a simple weapon? What's his semblance?"

"It is reported that he is able to move his body at great speeds. So it would seem that he used it to finish the job quickly." Ozpin responded.

"That would make sense. And? What's the big deal? It can be considered impressive, sure, but I don't think that it is something that people in their ending years at Signal or something would be unable to do."

Ozpin's smile grew and he steepled his hands and responded. "You are right, that could happen, but that would be impossible in this case. The officer on the scene stated that the boy was no older than thirteen."

Jack whistled. "I see what you mean. That _is_ kind of impressive."

"Indeed. They would have asked the boy where he had learned to do that, but he had fled the scene before anyone could question him." A forlorn sigh escaped his lips. "They had only managed to get a basic description of the boy. As I said, he was around thirteen years of age, had spiky blond hair, and was wearing a tattered orange tracksuit…"

Naruto had to prevent himself from reacting at this point. Instead, he quickly got up and put some money on the counter. "Something just came up. Thanks for the ramen, Jack." He turned to leave.

"Hold up, brat." Naruto froze. Jack sighed and sent a deadpan look at Ozpin. "Ozpin, stop messing with the kid. I know you know that it was him. Why do this?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"I assure you I have no idea what you are talking about, Jack." The amused smile on his face said otherwise. Ozpin turned to Naruto. "Was that you?" He asked.

Naruto looked unsure how to respond and glanced at Jack. "Kid, trust me, just be honest. This guy already knows it was you, he is just waiting for you to sit down and admit it."

With a grimace and great reluctance, Naruto sat back down. "Let's say it was me, then what?"

Ozpin adopted a thoughtful before he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off. "Relax, Ozpin won't be reporting you or anything like that. I don't know for sure what he wants, but he is probably just curious."

The white haired man smiled. "I admit that I am indeed very curious about you."

Naruto looked at him suspiciously. "Right. And what exactly are you curious about?" He asked.

Ozpin hummed in thought before he masked the emotions on his face with an aloof look. "I was curious as to why a thirteen year old boy would throw himself into harm's way like that…" Naruto blinked.

"Why wouldn't I? There were kids in the park that were going to get killed if I didn't do something." Jack smirked at this answer while Ozpin responded.

"You would risk yourself to help random kids in the park?"

Naruto blinked. "Yeah? I couldn't just stand there and watch…" _'Not to mention the fact that they seemed to be attracted there in the first place because of me.'_

Ozpin nodded and took another moment to think. "That is impressive, not everyone would do such a thing. May I ask where you learned how to fight?" He had checked all the Signal academy records and came up with no one matching his description. The same result came from his check of the other starting schools.

"Well…I was taught by a couple of people. I lived outside of the four kingdoms before coming to Vale, and I was taught there. I'm sure that I'm not the only person my age who can do that."

"I suppose…Is there any reason that you used a kunai as your weapon?"

Naruto shrugged. "I just never really needed to use anything else. I'm good with kunai, and it works for my up close and personal style, so I just never got anything else."

"Of course. Well, it was impressive, regardless." Naruto grinned sheepishly at the praise and rubbed the back of his head. "I wonder…have you ever considered becoming a huntsman?" He had some training, but never confirmed that he desired to become a huntsman.

Jack snapped his head to him. "Ozpin, you aren't going to…" He trailed off at the small smile Ozpin gave him.

"Well, that would depend on what his response is."

Naruto frowned in thought and crossed his arms. "Become a huntsman? I have thought of it, yeah, but never really pursued it…" He wasn't about to say that he was acting as an independent huntsman on the side.

Ozpin nodded. "And what would you do if presented with the chance to become one?"

Jack chose to speak up again. "Ozpin, don't you think he is a little young? I don't doubt he could do it, but that's a big jump." Ozpin didn't respond to Jack's question.

"Presented with the chance? As in?"

The smile on Ozpin's face grew a bit. "Do you know who I am?"

There was no hesitation. "Not a damn clue." This answer made Jack sigh and give Ozpin a faintly amused look.

"Brat," Jack began. "Ozpin is the headmaster over at Beacon." Naruto's eyes widened at this. "Oh, good. You get what this means."

Ozpin nodded. "So? What would you say if you were given the chance to attend Beacon Academy? While you didn't attend a starting school, that isn't a specific requirement. And I'm aware that you are younger than what is typical for our incoming students, but it also is not a requirement to be a certain age."

Naruto just stared at him with wide eyes for a minute as his mind processed what just happened. "Wait…You are offering me a chance to go to Beacon? Now?" He got a nod in response. Naruto shot him a skeptical look. "Do you always do whatever you want?" Ozpin chose to ignore that question.

"Ha! He already has you figured out, Oz!" Jack on the other hand, had no problem responding to that.

Ozpin ignored the snickering cook and focused on Naruto. "I am indeed offering you a chance to attend Beacon when the next school year starts. I believe that someone with your skills and mindset would make an admirable huntsman. It is apparent that you do not need the training that Signal Academy would provide you with, so why not skip it?" He quirked an eyebrow. "And your response?"

"I…" Naruto considered it. He definitely didn't like the idea of going to school, but he knew that getting official training would be good to have as a huntsman. Another problem would mean that he would have to stop being with Cinder to go into an unfamiliar environment. He could do it, but Naruto always felt more…comfortable around Cinder. "…Is it alright if I get back to you on this?"

This question seemed to surprise the two men somewhat, but they quickly recovered. Ozpin nodded. "That is fine. Simply send a message to me at Beacon when you decide." Naruto nodded, making a small smile reappear on his face. "Very well. It was nice seeing you again, Jack, as well as meeting you, Naruto." He stood up and put his Lien on the counter. "I'll be taking my leave now. Be sure to give my offer some thought."

"Sure, whatever." Jack waved him off.

Naruto grinned at him. "Back at you, and I will." With another nod, Ozpin left. Naruto just stared after him for a moment before turning back to his ramen in thought. Jack watched him out of the corner of his eye as he did so. "Hey, Jack?"

Jack turned his head a bit to face him. "Yeah, brat?"

"…What do you think I should do?" Jack frowned at the question.

"Do whatever the hell you want. Why are you asking me?"

Naruto frowned a bit. "I just wanted to hear your opinion on it, asshole."

"Tch. I don't care what you do." Jack turned away. "But this isn't something you should just jump at. Give it some thought. You are young, and while I don't think you can't keep up, you don't have to be in a hurry to do this."

The blond nodded thoughtfully. "Right…" He stood up. "I'm going to head out now. Thanks for the ramen."

Jack waved without turning back around. "Yeah, sure, see ya." His attitude made Naruto grin.

"…Ichiraku is still better."

"Brat! Get lost before I kick your ass!"

* * *

 **Park on the Edge of the City**

Naruto was back in the tree he was in a few weeks ago when the attack happened. His mind was still focused on the offer Ozpin gave him, so he came here to think. The atmosphere of the park relaxed him far more than the one in the city did.

' _Do I want to attend Beacon? The idea of school absolutely sucks, but I know it would still be good to do…'_ While he could continue what he was doing and keep on acting as an independent huntsman on the side, this was a far more recognized route. He lazily watched the clouds float as he contemplated his choice.

"Ah! It's him!" Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts at the childish shout and turned his head to the source. Running up towards his tree were two kids. After a moment, Naruto blinked in surprise when he recognized them as the kids that he had protected.

The young girl was he first to reach the tree. "You came again! I knew you would!"

The boy glared at her when he reached her side. "No you didn't! I was the one who said he would come back!"

This immediately made the girl spin around on him and glare. "Liar! It was me! You said that he wouldn't want to come back after those monsters came!"

When he saw the boy open his mouth to argue back, Naruto decided it would be best if he stopped them before a large argument broke out. Jumping down next to them, he spoke up. "Hey, hey, don't start fighting." Seeing that they had closed their mouths and resorted to glaring at one another, Naruto grinned. "Alright, what was it you two wanted?"

The two children blinked before turning to him with wide grins. The little girl bounced up and down. "We wanted to talk to you!" She said.

The boy grinned even wider. "Yeah! We never got to after last time, so we wanted to do it now."

The girl picked up after him. "And we wanted to say thank you!" The boy bobbed his head up and down, making his rabbit ears flop a bit.

Naruto was surprised for a moment, but quickly blushed a bit. "It was no problem…"

"No way!" The boy denied. "You were so cool back then! You were like a huntsman!"

"Yeah, you were awesome!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks…" The two of them smiled at him.

The girl stepped forward. "I'm Amy!" She was wearing a blue blouse with green shorts. Her brown hair was cut to shoulders length and her green eyes were practically glowing with excitement.

The boy was next to introduce himself. "And my name Zack!" He was wearing a green t-shirt and brown shorts. Like Amy, he had brown hair and green eyes.

Naruto smiled. "I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you."

Amy bounced up and down again. "We were worried that you wouldn't come back and we wouldn't be able to thank you, Naru!"

His new nickname made Naruto falter a bit. "N-Naru?" He asked, only to be ignored.

"It would have sucked if we didn't get to see you again." Zack continued. "So we kept on asking our mom to take us here again, but she _really_ didn't want to at first. She only gave in whe-"

"Amy! Zack!" A feminine voice shouted. The three of them turned to see a woman running up to them with a relieved look on her face. Looking at the rabbit ears on the top of her head and her green eyes, Naruto knew right away that she was related to them. She ran up to the two children and pulled them into tight hugs. "I told you two not to leave my sight! That was what we agreed on, wasn't it?" She said when she pulled back.

Amy and Zack squirmed a bit under her gaze. "Sorry, mom…" Amy said.

"We didn't mean to worry you…" Zack added.

Their mother sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just…I don't know what I would do if something did happen to you two…Please don't scare me like that again…"

"Okay…" They said together. Naruto had stepped away to give them some form of privacy. He couldn't help but smile at the scene, but a small part of him was jealous he didn't have the chance to do something like that.

"Oh! Mom, you have to meet him!" Zack tugged on his mother's hand and led her over to Naruto, who was feeling a little nervous. "This is the boy we told you about. The one who saved us!" The woman's eyes widened in surprised. The next thing Naruto knew, he was wrapped in a tight hug by the woman.

"Oh, I can't thank you enough…You saved them…" She pulled back and looked at him with a teary smile. Naruto could feel his face heating up again.

"I was just doing what anyone would have…" He mumbled. She smiled at him.

"Well regardless, I can never repay you for this…"

Naruto shook his head. "It's fine, really."

She looked like she was going to argue again, but the two kids jumped back in. "Naru!" Amy grabbed one of his hands. "Play with us!"

Zack was quick to grab the other hand. "Yeah! Come on, it will be fun!"

"Wha…But…" Seeing their large eyes looking at him pleadingly, he turned to the mother in a silent plea for help.

"That sounds like a great idea! Be sure to be careful. And don't get too close to the forest!" His silent request for help was greeted with an extremely amused look and a refusal of help.

"Yes!"

"Okay!" They began dragging him away together over to the part of the park they had been playing in last time.

With a sigh, Naruto glanced at the two kids. He would rather be thinking over his options for Beacon and whether or not he should accept Ozpin's invitation.

"Naru! You have to choose a huntsman type!" A small smile spread across his face.

Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

 **City Streets (Later)**

Naruto spent the next few hours in the park playing with Amy and Zack as their mother watched them from a bench. The three of them had played whatever games that the two kids wanted, only to be forced to end it when their mother said it was time to go home. While he had been initially slightly reluctant to join them in their games, Naruto could honestly say that he had a lot of fun playing with the two little kids.

Their open and cheerful personalities instantly made Naruto warm up to them, although he still felt embarrassed when they displayed some hero worship towards him. As the two kids were leaving, they made sure to pull out a promise from Naruto that he would play with them again some time.

With a wide grin on his face, Naruto had left the park and started walking back to Cinder's apartment. The only real downside of spending the last few hours playing with Amy and Zack was that he still needed to figure out what he was going to do. That realization made him sigh and slump a bit.

"Oh wow! That's the new Atlas Stec Rifle!" The excited squeal from nearby drew Naruto's eyes to the source. He instantly saw a lot of black and red standing outside a weapons shop window. Taking another look, Naruto saw that it was actually a girl who had her face pressed against the glass.

It was a girl who was probably a year or two older than him with silver eyes and black hair that had a red tint to it. She was dressed a black blouse, a black corset with red lacing, and a skirt with red trimmings, complete with a red cloak. Attached to her back at the waist was some red device, probably some form of weaponry.

The girl seemed to actually have stars in her eyes as she stared longingly at the rifle on display in the window. Before he could stop himself, a small amused laugh escaped him. The girl froze in place and slowly turned to face him. When she saw that he was looking in her direction, an embarrassed blush appeared in her cheeks. An awkward look appeared on Naruto's face, but before he could apologize, she started speaking.

"Ah! Nice going Ruby! Way to make a fool of yourself in front of someone you don't even know!" She slumped her shoulders.

Naruto grimaced. "I'm sorry about that, I shouldn't have laughed like I did…It's just…It was an interesting sight to see someone look so excited about a rifle…" He smiled a bit at her when she sheepishly laughed. "I guess you're enthusiastic about guns?" He asked.

Like a switch, the girl's entire demeanor turned around and the stars reappeared in her eyes. "Not just guns! Guns, swords, maces, shields, spears, knives, you name it! They're just so cool!" Naruto sweat dropped a bit when she sighed dreamily. "There are so many cool weapons out there…"

"Right…"

The girl blinked when she realized she fell back into weapon crazed mode for a minute again. The blush came back full force. "Sorry! I tend to ramble for a bit when I lose myself. My sister tells me that it's funny and my dad says it's endearing, but I don't know. I mean, here I am talking to someone I just met and I go off and start to lose myself to my weapon enthusiasm and you must think I'm weird because of it and are probably thinking I'm crazy because I just won't stop talking, even while I talk about how I won't stop talking. And then…" She blushed again when she realized what she was doing. "Um…I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose." She said.

Naruto blinked before grinning at her. "Nice to meet you, Ruby. Name's Naruto Uzumaki." He crossed his arms with a smirk. "So, do you always press your face against shop windows?" He took great amusement in her reaction.

"No! Not all the time!"

"So only when a new shiny gun is there?"

"Ye-I mean no!" She pouted when she saw him snickering. "Don't make fun of me…"

"Right, right. My bad." He tilted his head with a grin. "I'm guessing that you are training to be a huntress or something?" When he saw her surprised look, he elaborated. "Well, disregarding your weapon craze," Cue blush. "You also seem to have a weapon with you." He gestured to the red device.

"But, how did you figure it out just from that?"

Naruto's smirk grew. "Your Signal bag helped." He nodded at the bag at her feet with the Signal Academy logo on it.

Ruby blushed again and rubbed her neck. "Right, I guess that would help…" She perked up. "What about you? Are you training to become a huntsman?" She looked him over. "I don't see a weapon…and I don't recognize you from school…"

A conflicted look flashed across his face, but he covered it with a grin and a shrug before she noticed. "I don't go to a school. I have some training, but not anything formal. I was thinking about entering Beacon later on, though." No need to tell her he meant for the coming up school year or that the headmaster had personally offered him entrance. Just let her assume that he meant in a few years he would try the super hard open test that anyone could take. "But I don't have any kind of weapon besides these." He pulled out a kunai. "Never really needed anything more."

Naruto jolted in surprise when Ruby suddenly appeared in front of him to observe the kunai. Looking behind her, he saw rose petals in the air. She grinned widely at the sight of the weapon, but blinked when a thought came to her. "Kunai are cool and all, but is this enough? What if you need something…more?"

He shrugged. "Never have. I think I'm fine with these. They're simple and disposable. Having a weapon has never been my thing." He was completely caught off guard when she appeared in his face.

"How can you say that?! Weapons are an important part of who we are! Along with our aura, they are an irreplaceable part of being huntsmen and huntresses!"

Naruto raised his hands in a placating manner. "Sorry, sorry!" She huffed and back off a bit. "So you think I should get something?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Every huntsman needs some kind of permanent weapon to use. Even if you don't prefer to use it, it would be nice to fall back on!"

He hummed in thought. "Interesting…And if I choose not to be a huntsman?"

She blinked in surprise. "But…you said you have training. And that you were thinking of entering Beacon when you can…"

Naruto shrugged. "Exactly. I am _thinking_ of entering Beacon. I haven't decided."

"But…But…"

"Not everyone wants to go to Beacon or become a huntsman, Ruby." She sighed and nodded sadly. "But back to the weapons thing…Maybe I should think about getting one…But what to get? And how to make sure it feels natural to me…?"

She bounced up and down. "Oh! Oh! If you can, you should totally make your own weapon! That is an awesome way to make sure that it fits you!"

Naruto tilted his head in thought. "Make my own?" That _does_ sound appealing. "Maybe…I'll think about it." She grinned at him. Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when a song started to play from her pocket.

" _This will be the day we waited for._

 _This will be the day we open up the door."_

With an apologetic smile, Ruby took out her scroll and answered the call. "Hello? Oh. Hey, Yang." The person on the other end spoke up. "What? I'm in the city. Over at the usual weapons shop." The person spoke up again. "What?! That was today?!" She checked the time. "Oh no! I'm sorry! I'll head right over!" She hung up and turned to Naruto with an apologetic look. "Sorry, I gotta go."

He smiled at her. "No problem, don't worry about it." She smiled gratefully at him.

Quickly picking up her bag, she turned back to him and waved. "Bye!" Without another word, she started running down the sidewalk. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he saw how fast she was going.

' _She is pretty fast…'_ With a shrug, he continued on his way.

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

Cinder looked up from her book when Naruto walked through the door. "That took a while…" She commented.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a grin. "Yeah, some stuff came up. I decided to head to the park to think for a bit and I got pulled into playing with those two kids I saved a while back. It was fun, but I never got around to making a decision…" A conflicted look crossed his face.

A black eyebrow rose in curiosity. "Did something happen? What did you need to think about?"

He sighed and sat down on the couch. He was looking towards the ground with a small frown. "Well…I was at _A Simple Wok_ , eating ramen, when this guy walked in…" Cinder couldn't see the problem so far, so she nodded. "He seemed to know Jack, and struck up a conversation with him. They talked about the Grimm attack I stopped."

Cinder's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. When I tried to leave, Jack stopped me and told me that the guy already knew. When asked why he was pretending he didn't know, the man turned to me to confirm that I was the one who saved those kids."

"And did you answer him?"

"I didn't confirm at first, I just asked why he wanted to know. He went on to ask me the reasons why I helped." She nodded. "This eventually led to the topic of if I would like to become a huntsman."

Cinder was slightly surprised at this. "What?" A sense of irritation was growing in her. "Do you know who this man was?"

Naruto nodded. "He introduced himself as Professor Ozpin."

Her eyes widened minutely. "That's…" _'A problem.'_ She had hoping he wouldn't, but it wasn't really a surprise that Ozpin would be interested in the story of a thirteen year old boy defeating five Grimm so easily and quickly with nothing but a kunai.

He sighed. "In the end, he offered me a chance to attend Beacon…" He frowned. "But I'm not sure if I want to…" He turned to her. "What do you think I should do?" Her opinion was really important to him.

She frowned in thought. "I think…that you need to think about this carefully. I will support you no matter what you do, but this would defeat the point of being an independent huntsman. We did that so you wouldn't have to go to Beacon or anything."

Naruto nodded. "I have some time. He gave me the chance to think about my decision before I get back to him." He leaned back into the couch. "He then left, and I went to the park. While there, I was roped into playing with those two kids, like I said." A small smile appeared on his face. "It was fun. Then I came back." He paused as he remembered his conversation with Ruby. "Hey…Cinder?"

Cinder was pulled out of her thoughts and turned to him. "Yes?"

"What do you…think about me getting a weapon? Something besides my kunai?"

She raised an eyebrow at him before smiling. "That sounds like a good idea. Did you have anything in mind?"

He shook his head. "Not really."

"Then we can start brainstorming together. From there, we can decide if you want to make it yourself, have it custom made, or go buy something out of a store."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks Cinder."

She smiled back. "It's nothing. I don't mind helping you out." She frowned in thought. "But be sure to make a decision concerning Beacon, okay?"

"Sure. I'll think about it."

Cinder nodded. _'It would be best if I…_ help _him along a bit…'_ A small smirk graced her face, but it was quickly erased.

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 3!**

 **I still suck at descriptions and outfits. Naruto's outfit consists of the Gojgoj Vest from Phantasy Star Universe (The red and black one, except his is dark orange and black with the Uzumaki swirl) along with the AMF ArmyBattleSet from the same game (Same color scheme) and the headband given to him by Cinder. I don't know why I didn't just use some outfits out of games in the first place.**

 **I'll admit, it had crossed my mind to just leave Naruto with kunai and shuriken as weapons, but I'm not gonna do that. He'll have a weapon.**

 **Out of all the pairing options, Ruby would be my favorite pick. I feel like the majority of people do Yang or Blake, but Ruby is my preference. Plus, they are the closest in age. What do you guys think?**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	4. Chapter 4

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 4!**

 **Lazies hit me again. It's a serious problem that should get more awareness in the world.**

 **This was longer than expected. I was sure it would only be around 6k words...meh, whatever.**

 **I'm completely in agreement with the theory that Summer Rose was the summer maiden and passed it to Ruby upon death.**

 **So many reviews on the pairing and weapon…Most of them didn't need a response…I'm gonna post a poll on the pairing soon on my profile that will be up until sometime Monday. It will be closed whenever I remember to close it. I reserve the right to not go with the winner, I'm just curious to see who would win.**

 **I'm not** _ **opposed**_ **to having Naruto end up with more than one person, but two would probably be the max.** _ **Maybe**_ **three, but I doubt I would go for it. As I said before, Ruby is my favorite pick, with Cinder and Weiss right behind. Nora is an interesting option, too…**

* * *

 **Monsieur La Critique: I get what you're saying, but I've said before I don't care if I use clichés. I just don't think it's that big a deal. As for Naruto using a codename while Emerald and Mercury don't, that's because it is better for him not to have everyone aware of who he is because he apparently has two semblances.**

 **PureBlank: I know it's a big gap, that's one of my biggest reasons for hesitating having him attend Beacon.**

 **OBSERVER01: There's every chance of that :P**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

"Are you ready to go, Naruto?"

Naruto looked away from his scroll on his spot on the couch to look over to Cinder. He grinned and nodded as he got up. "Ready whenever."

She smiled back at him. "Good, I'm ready as well. Let's get going." She started towards the door with Naruto a step behind her. "So, have you made a decision concerning Beacon?" Naruto blinked at the question before a sigh escaped his lips.

It was two days after Naruto had received the offer from Ozpin to attend Beacon during the upcoming school year. Despite thinking about it repeatedly, Naruto had been unable to come to a decision on what he should do. While he didn't like the idea of attending school or being stuck in one place until he graduated, he couldn't deny that he was a little interested in what the experience would be like. He was hesitant to compare it to the academy back in Konoha because that was full of kids below the age of thirteen and Beacon consisted mostly people above seventeen. Just that much would completely change the atmosphere.

The past two days had been filled with indecision and uncertainty plaguing Naruto's mind. Whenever he came to a decision, whether it be to attend Beacon or decline the invitation, he would hesitate and second guess himself. Cinder had told him that this was something he should think about carefully, so he was making sure he didn't jump into anything too soon. Going back on his word was still something he hated doing, so he would stick with whatever he chose in the end unless something huge came and changed the entire situation.

"No, I still have no idea what I'm gonna do…"

Because Naruto was tearing himself apart as he tried to make a decision, Cinder chose to take his mind off of things by presenting him with various weapons catalogues. The day before, the two of them had spent several hours browsing through the catalogues and critiquing each weapon they saw. Every time Naruto saw a weapon that caught his interest, they would bookmark it and write it down on an ever growing list. They had gone through numerous weapons, but they had yet to find anything that really called out to the blond. After not finding anything too great, Cinder decided that it may help Naruto choose if he was able to view the weapons in person and maybe even hold some of them.

And that's what they were on their way to do.

Naruto and Cinder were heading into the city to stop by a weapons shop that, according to Cinder, had a wide variety of weapons and allowed the customers to test a few of them in a room they had in the back. The moment he heard the proposal, a wide grin split across Naruto's face. He had been extremely reluctant to dedicate himself to a weapon without ever holding the thing beforehand.

Cinder nodded with a small smile. "It is nice to know that you are not taking this decision lightly. Joining Beacon at your age is a serious decision." She paused. "But remember, I'll stand by your choice, no matter what it is."

He stared at her with slightly widened eyes for a moment before a grin nearly split his face. Nodding, he spoke up. "Thanks. Sorry I'm being so indecisive about the whole thing…" He got a shrug in return.

"I understand. I would do the same if I was in your position. You still have some time before you should reply, so let's focus back on the here and now." Naruto nodded in agreement.

He really was lucky to have Cinder around.

* * *

 **Weapons Shop**

"Hello! Welcome to GRM Works."

Cinder nodded to the man behind the counter as Naruto looked around at all of the weapons in the room. While there were no actual weapons out, the shelves still had models and images lining them. There seemed to be a weapon for just about everyone here. Just from where he was standing, Naruto could spot swords, spears, pistols, rifles and even a flail.

"How can I help you?" Naruto looked back to the man and walked up to him with Cinder.

"We're looking for a weapon for him." Cinder gestured to Naruto.

The man smiled and nodded. "Ah, yes. We get quite a few prospective Signal Academy students here." Neither of them bothered to correct him. "Did you have something specific in mind?" He asked curiously.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Not really. I don't know that much about weapons, to be honest. I was just hoping to look around and find something that called out to me." He got another smile in return.

"I understand. There are many people who are unsure of what type of weapon they wish to have." He moved out from behind the counter. "I suggest we start with having you test out a few different types of weapons in the back. Nothing too serious, simply taking a few shots with a gun, a swing of the sword, maybe a strike of a staff, just to see what you feel the most comfortable with. Sound good to you?" He asked and got a grin in return.

"Sounds great."

* * *

 **Later**

"Are you _sure_ that none of these is something you want?" The man asked in exasperation.

The three of them had spent the last hour and a half going through all the different weapon types they had in stock there. Despite trying out at least two dozen different weapon classes, Naruto was still unable to find anything he could picture himself using. The presented guns felt awkward to hold and aim, the staves were too hard to use effectively, the bow and arrows were kind of a pain, and the he didn't even bother touching the scythes when offered.

Naruto sighed. He only ever felt comfortable using his kunai and shuriken. That's what he had been using for years and having a completely different weapon in his hand felt plain weird. "I'm positive, thanks." Cinder simply watched the sequence of events from the side with a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes.

"But we must have _something_ that catches your interest. We really do have nearly every weapon class out there! And if you don't see it here, we are fully capable of doing custom orders if you give us the specifications." The man took a deep breath before plastering a smile onto his face. "Let's take this from the top. I'll ask you some questions of what your preferences are and try to narrow down something that is right for you." Naruto nodded.

"Alright." He would have felt bad for being so picky, but he _really_ didn't like anything he saw so far.

"I'll start by asking the obvious. What type of combat do you prefer? Long range, mid-range, or short range?"

"Short range with the option of mid-range if needed." No question about it.

"Understood. Do you prefer blades or something like short range guns?"

"I don't feel that comfortable with guns. Blades are what I've always used."

The man perked up. "You have experience with blades?" Depending on the type of blade, the entire search process could become much easier.

Naruto nodded and pulled out a kunai. "Not like swords or anything, just kunai and shuriken."

He got a smile in return as the man took the kunai and examined it. "No, no. That's fine. How do you prefer to use these? Do you throw them or use them as daggers?"

"Either is fine." Naruto shrugged. "Lately, I've been using them as daggers."

"Interesting…And you said you use shuriken as well?" A nod. "What type? The small ones that fit into your hand or the large ones?"

"Uh…The small ones, but I have used the larger ones in the past."

"Last question. How much aura would you say you have?"

 _That_ question made Naruto pause and Cinder perk up a bit. That had been something she had been curious about as well, but had yet to bring it up. "Um…I'm actually not sure." He knew that he had a ton of chakra, but he didn't think that translated to aura. He had of course noticed the similarities between aura and chakra, but didn't get a chance to see if he could use dust or anything else that required aura yet.

The man nodded. "That isn't a problem. We can test to see how big your reserves are here and now, if that's alright with you."

"That's fine…"

"Great. Please step over to this machine…" He gestured to a machine on the side of the room. It looked little more than a pedestal infused with the wall, but stepping closer, Naruto noticed that there were two hand shaped impressions on it. On the wall above it was a monitor. "All you need to do is place your hands on the designated spots and channel some aura into it. Once you start, you will have three seconds to put in as much as you can. The amount of aura you have is determined by how much you can provide. People with more aura have an easier time with this than those with smaller reserves. The amount of aura you have will then be displayed on the screen. Any questions?"

"No, I got it."

"Then you can begin whenever you wish." He stepped back to give Naruto some room.

Naruto stepped up to the pedestal and placed his hands in the correct places before taking a breath. _'Here goes nothing.'_ He began to pump chakra into the machine and waited. When nothing happened, he frowned. _'I guess chakra and aura really are too diff-'_ BEEP! Naruto was startled when error messages began to flash across the screen. He immediately backed off as the man hurried forward. "Uh…was that supposed to happen?"

"I'm so sorry about that. I suppose that it was in need of some maintenance." He opened a panel on the side of the machine to access the controls. "Please give me a moment. I'll have the results up right away…" After a few moments, a number appeared on the screen.

Naruto tilted his head in curiosity. "What exactly is considered a good score?" He asked.

"Well, it depends. A brand new trainee who has their aura unlocked would normally have something around 30. Signal Academy students who are ready to graduate have around 100. Graduates of Beacon Academy have something around 300 with the teachers having 500." He chuckled. "Although every once in a while, there are those who have an insane amount of aura, even from an extremely young age!" He closed the panel and stood back up. "There are also people who have less aura, but that doesn't mean they have no potential, so don't get discouraged if you…have…less…" He trailed off when he saw the number on the screen.

621

He could do nothing but gape slightly as his mind tried to process what he was seeing. A small smug smirk made its way onto Naruto's face when he realized how high his number was. Apparently, aura and chakra were similar enough for him to get an extremely high score. Cinder had a pleased look on her face.

The man soon regained himself. "Perfect!" His sudden enthusiasm surprised the other occupants of the room. "I think I may have the perfect weapon for you! Just give me a moment to get it." He turned and quickly left the room.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked over to Cinder. "What do you think it is?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure…Seeing your kunai and asking how you used it must have given him an idea, though…" Before they could discuss it further, the man quickly entered the room again. Both of their eyes were instantly drawn to the case he was carrying.

He held it out to Naruto. "I'm confident that you will be happy with this one." He said confidently.

Naruto took the case from him and opened it. He frowned at the contents. "Where's the weapon?"

The smile on the man's face was growing by the second. "You're looking at it. This is one of newest products we have. It may not look like much right now, but it will!" He sighed and shook his head sadly. "The only problem is that not many people are capable of using it effectively." The smile quickly returned. "But I know that someone with your aura reserves will be able to. Go on, try it out! Just channel your aura and I know you will love it!"

With a dubious look on his face, Naruto did as he was told. What happened next shocked both him and Cinder. The shock soon disappeared and a wide grin spread onto Naruto's face. Looking back to the man, he spoke up.

"This is perfect."

* * *

"Will that complete your purchase?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

The man smiled. "Great. We will have it ready for you in a week." They couldn't take it now because they needed to alter it a bit to fit Naruto's specifications.

The blond grinned. "Awesome. I'll pick it up then. Thanks for the help."

"And thank you for shopping with GRM Works!" After they walked out, Cinder turned to Naruto.

"I'm glad that that is taken care of."

Naruto nodded. "Same here. I was honestly starting to think we wouldn't find anything." His grin widened. "But we wound up finding the best weapon ever!"

Cinder hummed in thought. "I'm sure that there are many people out there who would argue the same."

"Maybe, but I'm actually right." He took out his scroll and checked out the time. "I'm going to head to the park now. I'm pretty sure that Amy and Zack are there right about now. I promised I would play with them again."

He got a nod and a smile in return. "Alright. I'm going to head back to the apartment. Have fun."

"Got it. See you later." He turned and walked off. Cinder watched him walk away for a minute before she took out her scroll. She quickly typed up a message and sent it off to the desire recipient. Once she was done, a small smirk filtered across her face.

* * *

 **Park on the Edge of the City**

"Naru! You came back!"

"Oof!" Naruto was tackled to the ground when a speeding Amy caught him in the gut. Groaning, he cracked an eye and looked at the giggling girl on his stomach. _'How the hell does she do that?'_ It didn't make _any_ sense for a little girl to be that strong or fast. Ignoring his aching body, he grinned at her. "I said I would be back, didn't I? I never go back on my word!"

This proclamation made her giggle excitedly. It was at this point that Zack rushed up to them. "Naruto! You're gonna play with us again, right?" The grin on his face was growing by the second.

Naruto stood up, which made Amy roll off of him, eliciting more giggles. "You know it. Like I told your sister, I promised I would." He blinked before quickly glancing around the park. He spotted the person he was looking for on a bench off to the side. The mother of the children smiled and waved at him in greeting when she saw he was looking her way. Naruto grinned and waved back before looking at the two children. "So, what do you guys want to play this time?"

* * *

 **Later**

"Caught you!" Naruto was pushed out of the bush he was in and onto the ground when a sudden weight was applied to his back. Looking over his shoulder, he was greeted with green eyes that were shining with excitement. "You can't hide from me, Naru!"

Naruto sighed in an over dramatic fashion and shook his head forlornly. "It isn't fair, Amy. You always find me…" He eyed her. "How do I know you're not cheating?" He asked playfully. If he really didn't want them to, neither of the two kids would be able to find them when he hid, but he knew this was just a game and he was playing with little kids, so he made it easier on them.

Amy gasped. "I don't cheat! I always play fair!"

"Hm…Really?"

"Really!" She pouted. "Only people like Zack cheat!"

"Hey!" They both turned their heads to the source of the shout. Zack was standing there with his arms crossed and a glare on his face. Although due to his age, it wasn't very effective. "I do not cheat! I play fair too!"

Amy stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Then what about that time you didn't close your eyes all the way when you were supposed to?"

Zack spluttered as a blush crept on his face. "T-that was…Uh…Shut up, stupid!"

Amy gasped. "You aren't supposed to say that!"

"Yeah, and?"

"And I'm gonna tell mom on you!"

"No you won't!"

"Yes I will!"

"Then I'll tell on you for eating sweets after dinner last night!"

"What?! Bu-"

"Alright, you two. Enough of that." Naruto knew from experience that they could go on like that for a long time if he left them alone. Although they got along nicely most of the time, they still argued like any other siblings did. The two of them stopped arguing, but continued to glare at each other for a few more minutes before turning away at the same time with identical huffs.

The entire thing was extremely amusing to watch.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted. "Zack, Amy, we have to go." The three of them turned to the source of the voice and saw the mother walk up to them. She smiled at Naruto. "Thank you for playing with them, Naruto, but we have to get going."

He smiled as Amy got off of him before standing up. Shaking his head, he spoke up. "It really isn't a problem. They have fun and so do I." Naruto really was growing increasingly attached to the two children.

Amy grabbed his hand, making him look down at her. "That means you will come back again, right Naru? We come back every two days! And our birthday is in two days! We're having a party here with our friends!"

Zack nodded in agreement. "You're gonna come, right?" Their eyes were wide with hope.

Naruto shrugged with a small smirk. "Who knows? I might…" Zack and Amy gave identical grins before they said their goodbyes and followed their mother out of the park. Naruto simply watched them go for a minute.

"Do you always play with kids in the park?" Naruto turned his head to see the person who had asked the question. Stepping out from behind a tree was a girl a few years older than him.

She had near shoulder length mint-green hair that was cut with a straight fringe and bangs. Two locks in the back were longer than the others. Her eyes were dark red in color and she had dark skin. The girl's choice of outfit consisted of an exotic looking white top and olive undershirt with an emerald emblem on the back. She also wore white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt. Attached to the back of her belt was some kind of weapon.

Naruto blinked at the question before a smile made its way onto his face. "Not always, but I like playing with them." A thought came to him, making him frown slightly and cross his arms. "Why? Do you think it's stupid for me to play with them?"

She blinked as if surprised at the question before quickly shaking her head. "No, of course not." She smiled at him. "It's just not every day that I see someone taking the time to play with little kids in the park. I was just curious, that's all."

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." She grinned and offered a hand. "I'm Emerald Sustrai."

Naruto grinned and accepted the handshake. "And I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you." They released their hands. "Are you new around here?"

"What?" Emerald wasn't expecting that question at all.

"Sorry, it's just…I've spent a lot of time in this park and the immediate area and I don't think I've ever seen you around before." His grin turned playful. "No offense, but I don't think I would forget seeing someone with green hair."

She laughed at the question. "None taken. You can probably tell by my appearance, but I'm not from Vale. I only got here recently." She looked around. "And I have to say, I like it here. It's different from what I'm used to. Tall buildings, diverse culture…"

Naruto couldn't help but smile and nod in agreement. "I understand completely. I only recently came to Vale as well. It was a lot to take in at first…"

Emerald blinked and looked back at him. "You're not from here? Then where are you from?" She paused when she realized what she asked. "Oh, sorry. I'm being nosy, aren't I? Just forget I asked."

He frowned minutely and tilted his head in thought. While it was true he just met her, Naruto didn't see anything wrong with giving some small details about himself. "I'm from outside of the four kingdoms."

"That's interesting…" Emerald cupped her chin and took in his appearance, making Naruto shift nervously. "What?"

"Do you…have some training as a huntsman?" This question successfully caught Naruto slightly off guard. "Sorry if I seem a little forward, but I just get the impression that you have training of some kind. I don't see any obvious weapon, but I guess you could have something small in that pouch you have. People often carry small knives on their person in pouches like that."

"You could tell?"

In response, Emerald grinned and placed her hands on her hips. "You won't find anyone out there who is better than me at taking in the appearance of a person and judging what they have on them." Naruto sweat dropped.

What a weird declaration.

A vibration in his pocket drew Naruto's attention to his scroll. Taking it out, he saw he had a message from Cinder. He turned back to Emerald and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I have to go."

She nodded in return. "No problem. It was nice meeting you, Naruto. Maybe I'll see you around?" She smiled. "It's nice to have a new friend around."

Naruto blinked in surprise. After a moment, a wide grin split across his face. "You got it. See ya." He walked away.

Emerald watched him leave before she took out her scroll and called a number.

" _Well?"_ A feminine voice asked.

"I met him. He seems alright."

" _And did you find out what I wanted you to?"_

"Absolutely."

" _Good work. Send the information to Roman."_

"Will do."

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

Ozpin frowned as he read the report he was given. For a moment, his mind went back to a similar situation a few weeks ago. Just like the previous time, he was working early into the morning and reading things that he believed merited notice. And just like the last time, he was going over a report on a boy. However, unlike last time, this boy seemed to be making a name for himself as an independent huntsman. Spectacled eyes roved over the name the boy chose for himself.

Kitsune.

With a deep sigh, Ozpin went over the facts he had again. Kitsune had appeared a few weeks ago as an independent huntsman who was taking on smaller missions around the city and in the nearby vicinity. Although he started with the minor things, it was obvious that the boy was trying to make a name for himself and gain access to the higher ranking missions. Normally, Ozpin wouldn't have taken much interest in such a thing as it was not unheard of for some people to wish to become huntsmen and huntresses without attending an academy, but there were multiple things that caught his attention for this one.

The first was the estimated age of the boy. Given multiple witness accounts and observations, Kitsune was estimated to be in his early teens. This was surprising, but not ground breaking.

The second thing was the fact that _no one_ seemed to know who Kitsune really was. No matter who he asked or what files he looked in, Ozpin was unable to find any mentions of a name or identity. Whoever helped construct the identity of Kitsune clearly did with the intention of remaining anonymous in mind. This was a little worrying, but still nothing that sent alarms blaring.

What _really_ got Ozpin's attention was that Kitsune apparently had _two_ semblances. Kitsune was seen multiple times both creating clones of himself and moving at extreme speeds. The ability to wield two semblances was something that had never been seen before, and it was something that was sending many researchers scrambling to figure out how Kitsune was able to. Even some of his professors were beside themselves when they heard about it.

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee. From the moment he had heard about Kitsune and what the boy could do, Ozpin had been extremely curious to meet him. Of course, no one knew who Kitsune really was, so that presented a bit of a challenge…but not all of them had access to the information that Ozpin did.

The first thing Ozpin did was notice the time frame in which Kitsune had become active. Not even a full two weeks before his first reported appearance, there was another boy that had popped up and showed that he had a speed semblance. Ozpin had immediately connected the dots and made a guess as to Kitsune's true identity before he decided to move in to offer the boy a place at Beacon. The only problem was tracking the boy down.

It proved too difficult to track him down as Kitsune due to the speeds he travelled at, so he had to dig around and look for a blond boy who fit the correct description. Eventually, it led to _A Simple Wok_. The memory of the conversation in the ramen stand made him smile. He really was pleased with what he learned by talking with Naruto and hoped that he would accept the invitation.

Partly because while he knew Naruto would make a great huntsman, he was also worried about someone else would cause him to stray into things that are better left alone.

After all, he was fairly certain that Naruto had help creating the persona of Kitsune. And whoever helped him was trying to stay out of the spotlight. For what reason had yet to be known.

* * *

 **City of Vale (Few Days Later)**

"Gah, freaking asshole." Naruto muttered to himself from his spot on a rooftop in Vale. He was sitting on the edge of the building with his feet hanging over the edge. "Why do they always look at me funny when they find out I'm the huntsman on the mission?" He was currently dressed in his Kitsune outfit because he had just finished a mission. Although he completed the mission with little difficulty, the person he had to report to had some trouble believing that Naruto was the one who took the mission. The disbelief only grew when Naruto completed the mission much faster than expected.

"I cannot _wait_ until people stop questioning me about my age…" With another sigh, Naruto looked over the big city. It was a fairly cloudy day, but it wasn't unpleasant. Despite how unsettling the change from forests to cityscape was at first, Naruto could honestly say that he was starting to enjoy life in the city.

He looked towards a certain area in the northern portion of Vale. "The park should be around there…" A wide grin was forming under his mask. "I should probably start heading over…" Today was the day that Amy and Zack were supposed to have their party.

Boom!

A large explosion from the other side of the city made Naruto turn his body and jump to his feet. His eyes widened in shock at the plume of smoke that was rapidly rising into the sky. "What the hell?" He tracked the plume back to the source. When he saw the area it was coming from, his blood ran cold.

The park.

"No!" Not wasting a moment, he pumped chakra into his legs and started dashing towards the park.

* * *

 **Park on the Edge of the City**

The sight that greeted Naruto would forever be burned into his memory. There was a crater in the center of the park where a large bullhead seemed to have crashed and was now burning. Spread throughout the area were numerous Grimm of various types. The police were strewn about as they attempted to fight off all the Grimm.

' _How the hell did this happen?! There shouldn't be any way that this many Grimm could even get close to the city before being noticed.'_ Shaking his head, Naruto quickly looked around. The police were putting up a decent fight, but were unequipped for something more than a couple Grimm. And all of the negative emotions going around was attracting more from the forest.

Making a decision, Naruto quickly formed a hand seal. " **Shadow Clone Jutsu**!" Five clones popped into existence around him. Naruto and his clones turned towards the crash site and surrounding area. While the police were holding off the Grimm, Naruto would make sure that all of the civilians were out of the way of harm.

"Hey, kid!" Before he could more than a few steps, Naruto was stopped by a shout. He and his clones turned to see a police officer standing behind them with a pistol in his hand. "You're Kitsune, right? Help us out!"

Naruto frowned. "You should focus on the Grimm while I get the civilians out." He had to make sure Amy and Zack were alright.

The man shook his head. "Don't worry about it! We got all the people out already. Everyone is fine." Relief coursed through Naruto's veins when he heard this. The officer pointed at the fights. "But the Grimm are still kicking!"

Naruto and his clones turned. "Alright. I'll help take them out." He got a nod in return before the officer turned back towards the battles. Naruto glanced at his clones. "We're going to work quickly!" His clones nodded in agreement before they all rushed into the fight.

The moment Naruto got close, he had to leap to the side to avoid a large, bear-like Grimm. "Whoa, are all Grimm ugly. First the dog ones, now you…" The Ursa growled at him. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" He slid into a battle stance and pulled out a kunai. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Grah!" It lunged at him. The Ursa seemed to be much slower than the Beowolves he fought, so Naruto was easily able to jump over the lunge in order to land on its back. As soon as he landed, Naruto stabbed the kunai into the base of its neck, killing it.

Naruto jumped off the falling Grimm, only to see that he was now surrounded by three Beowolves. The Beowolves didn't give him any time to react before they pounced on him. Naruto ducked under the swipe of a claw from one of them, but had to roll to avoid another. As he came out of his roll, Naruto made a swipe at the side of the latest one to attack him. "Grah!" It roared in pain, but didn't go down. It spun around and tried to land a swipe on Naruto, but missed.

' _Damn, too shallow.'_ He frowned. Maybe it was a good thing he was getting something besides the small kunai he had. If he wasn't able to land a blow on a weak spot, then his weapons weren't nearly as effective. Naruto crouched low before dashing forward. He wove his way around the claws sent his way and struck out to cut all over the Beowolves' bodies. Soon, the number of injuries on them grew to be too great and they collapsed.

Nodding to himself, Naruto quickly scanned the area to find another Grimm. As he did so, he took stock of the situation. Only one clone had popped, and that was because he shielded a police officer. The sounds of sirens drew his attention to the street. More police cars were pulling up. _'Good. We should finish with this soon.'_ He looked away. With this many people, it shouldn't be long before the rest of the Grimm were taken out.

A feeling of something wet landing on his hand made him look up. It was starting to rain.

"Kyah!" Naruto's body snapped around at the terrified scream. He couldn't see the source, but it sounded as if it came from the forest.

' _I thought they said they got everyone out!'_ Naruto dashed into the forest.

"Please! Someone!" Naruto's mind froze for a second when he realized who the voice belonged to.

"Amy!" He channeled chakra to his legs and sped up. The rain was quickly picking up.

"GRAH!"

"No!" Naruto pushed his body to the limit to reach the place where the roar came from. He eventually came to a small clearing in the forest with Grimm in the center. They were forming a ring around something in the center of the clearing, but Naruto couldn't see anything due to the Grimm. "Amy!"

"Naru!"

"Hold on!" He quickly rushed in. The Grimm had noticed him the moment he entered the clearing, but not all of them broke off of the ring to attack him. "I don't have time for you!" He moved out of the way of a boar-like Grimm as it attacked him, but was forced to stop when another appeared in his path. "Get out of the way!"

"Kyah!"

"Damn it!" The Boarbatusk in front of him charged. Naruto was able to avoid it, but he saw it was coming around for a second round. Like the other Grimm, Naruto jumped above it and landed on its back. He stabbed the kunai down, but all he got out of it was a light wound.

"Grah!" The Boarbatusk quickly bucked, throwing Naruto off of it.

"Whoa!" Naruto spun around to land on his feet. Bam! "Gah!" He never noticed that the Boarbatusk sent him straight towards another one. Naruto was sent several feet away and landed with a thud on the wet ground. He pushed himself back to his feet. Unnoticed to anyone, his eyes had turned red and his pupils became slits. "Enough of this…" He formed a hand seal and more clones appeared. "If you won't move out of the way, then I'll just have to make you!" With a roar, he and his clones charged back in.

Slowly, Naruto started to make progress in lessening the number of Grimm in the clearing. It took some quick observations, but he soon learned that the Boarbatusks were much easier to kill once he was able to get a shot in on their undersides. Eventually, Naruto was within feet of the center of the ring. "Amy!" No response. "Amy! Damn!" He held his hand out towards a clone. Without any orders, the clone started to move his hands above the original's. The other clones around the ring paired up and did the same. Blue spheres of energy soon formed.

" **Rasengan**!" Naruto and his clones thrust their hands forward into the ring of Grimm.

"Grah!" The rest of the Grimm were blasted away from whatever they were focusing on.

Now that the Grimms were gone, Naruto dispelled his clones and rushed towards to the prone from of Amy. He pulled his mask down and slid to his knees. He didn't care about getting his clothes muddy, he only had Amy in mind. "Amy!" He gently reached out and turned her over so she was face up in his lap. He froze.

Empty green eyes stared back at him.

There was a large gash in her chest where blood was pouring from and onto him. Naruto looked away from it and started to shake her shoulder. "No…Amy, come on…Don't do this…" His vision started to cloud with tears. "Please…" No response was given. "Damn it!" He cradled her body as sobs wracked his body. It was pouring rain at this point, but Naruto didn't care.

Naruto stayed like even as the sounds of fighting in the distance eventually died down. All sense of time was lost to him as he stared into the empty green eyes. Eventually, the sounds of footsteps appeared behind him, but he ignored them. He didn't even look up when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Naruto." He vaguely recognized the voice as Emerald's, but didn't turn towards her. "Naruto, come on. We need to go. The police will get here soon. You haven't done anything wrong, but I don't think you want to go through the questioning…And they may use this as a chance to finally conduct tests on 'Kitsune.'"

Something she said caught his attention. Rage burned in him when he heard a what she said. "They said that they all got out! They said no one was hurt!" He would make them pay for stopping him!

Emerald shook her head. "We can talk about it later. We need to go." Through the rain, they could vaguely hear the sound of people approaching in the distance. "Let's go. I'll take you to a friend of mine. She lives nearby."

With great reluctance, Naruto sighed and nodded. Looking back to the little girl in his arms, he could feel himself begin to lose himself to anguish again. Deciding it would be best to hurry up and leave, he reached a hand out and gently shut her eyes. He placed her down on the ground and turned to Emerald. She nodded and they both stood up. Casting one last glance at Amy, they quickly left the clearing.

As they left the forest, Naruto's mind was a mess as it tried to come to terms with what happened. While he wasn't new to death, it still hurt to see someone he had grown to care about die. What made it worse was the fact that he had been _right there_ , but it still happened.

Some rustling leaves made both him and Emerald stop and pull out their weapons. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Emerald ordered.

"Watch it, you're talking to a cop." A male voice responded. From the bushes stepped a police officer. He looked at them warily, but didn't have his gun drawn. "Lower your weapons." Naruto saw red when he recognized the officer. Bam! "Gah!"

"Naruto!"

"You! You said that you had gotten everyone out! That no one was hurt!" Naruto held the man against a tree as his eyes bled red again and his whisker marks darkened. "You lied!"

The officer growled, but there were trace amounts of fear in his eyes. "No I didn't! Everyone got out of there! We made sure of it!" Bam! "Guh!" He groaned when Naruto kneed him in the stomach.

"The corpse of a little girl says otherwise!"

"I don't know what to tell you! We got them all out! Only the animals were unable to get out of there!"

The pouring rain filled the silence of the clearing.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked quietly.

"I said that only those stupid animals were still in the park. We got all the humans out." The officer cracked an eye and looked at Naruto. His eyes immediately went to certain features on the blond's face. "Oh, that's what you're mad about, isn't it? You're pissed because some stupid animals got killed?" He sneered. "Humans come first. Now let me go, animal, or I'll have you put down like you should be!"

"That was a little girl…" Naruto whispered.

"So? It was just a stinking Faunus. You talking about the one with the rabbit ears? I saw her run into the forest around the time you got here."

"You saw her run into the Grimm infested forest? And you didn't do anything?"

"I was more focused on saving those who are worth saving. What, you gonna get pissed that her rabbit eared brother and mother were killed too?" The sneer on his face grew. "Animals should stick together, I guess. Now I won't warn you again. Let me go!" Squelch! The man's eyes shot wide open in shock when a kunai embedded itself into his chest. He looked into the red eyes of the boy in front of him.

"You are the worst piece of scum imaginable. Rot in hell, trash." Naruto pulled out the kunai and stepped back as the man slowly slid to the ground. The cop gasped as blood gathered in his mouth. Slowly, his eyes turned to Emerald and he tried to say something, but he couldn't manage it. With one last shudder, he died.

Naruto turned to look at Emerald, who had watched the entire scene in silence. "Do you think I'm a monster for this?" He asked quietly. He had killed a few times on missions in the past, but it had always been rapists and murderers he encountered. In his opinion, this man was pretty much a murderer for letting Amy run into the forest and ignoring it.

Emerald looked at him in silence for a moment before she shook her head. "No, I would have done the same thing." She looked to the side when the sound of people approaching reached their ears. "We need to go." With a nod, Naruto followed her as she left.

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

The two of them were now on the roof of Cinder's apartment building. Emerald grinned at him. "This is the place. My friend lives on the top floor."

Naruto looked at her hesitantly. "Your friend…it wouldn't happen to be Cinder, would it?"

Emerald had a look of surprise on her face. "You know Cinder too?" He grinned, but it was obvious there were no real positive emotions behind it.

"Yeah, I've actually been staying with her." He gestured towards a box off to the side of the roof. "Give me a second to change clothes." Emerald nodded and turned away to give him privacy. Naruto sighed as he opened the box. He hated changing into wet clothes.

Once he was done, he turned back to Emerald. "Alright, I'm ready." Emerald nodded and the two of them walked over to the door leading into the building. They quickly walked through and entered the hallway. Once they reached Cinder's apartment, Naruto unlocked the door. "I'm back…" He said quietly.

Cinder was sitting in the adjacent room when the door opened and immediately walked over to them. "You're alright…I was getting worried…" She blinked when she saw who he was with. "Emerald?"

Emerald grinned sheepishly. "Hey, Cinder. You mind if I hang here for a bit?"

"Sure…" Cinder took in their appearances and the state Naruto was in. "But tell me what happened."

* * *

 **One Retelling Later**

"I'm so sorry that happened, Naruto…"

Naruto was sitting on the couch with his head down. Both he and Emerald were quickly dried off before getting ushered into the living room. "I don't understand…" He said quietly. "How did this happen? Where did the Grimm come from? That many shouldn't have been able to get so close without getting noticed." He defeated as he asked that.

"According to news reports, the crashed bullhead was transporting a large amount of Grimm. No one knows who was flying it or how it crashed, but most of the Grimm survived the crash and were able to escape the bullhead afterwards."

"Damn it…" He shook his head. "I can guess what happened from there…How many people died?" No response. Naruto looked up and met Cinder's eyes. "Cinder."

She sighed. "According to the reports given so far, a total of seven people died. Two adults and five children…"

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want you to tell me something honestly…" She slowly nodded. "Were all of the people who died a Faunus?"

"…Yes."

Rage coursed through Naruto again, making his eyes momentarily flash red. The other two occupants in the room were surprised by the momentary change. "So the cops made sure all of the humans got out of there before they stopped caring about civilians?"

"Naruto…"

"No, it's true! That's exactly what happened!" He stood up and started pacing. "They didn't care because they weren't humans! How could people like that actually become protectors? And I know I saw a huntsman or two there! Didn't they do anything?"

Emerald spoke up with a quiet voice. "There is a lot of corruption and racism in the world…People like that are everywhere…"

"Then someone should do something!" He paused. "I don't want to agree with the White Fang, but I can see where they're coming from…It isn't fair!" His train of thought stopped when he was asked a question.

"Then would you do something?" Naruto stopped pacing and turned his head towards Cinder. She was watching him with an analytical look in her eyes.

"What?"

"If you were offered the chance to strike back, would you?"

"Wha…what do you mean?"

"I mean that if I offered you the chance right now to help change things, would you? The White Fang may be classed as a terrorist group, but I can't argue that they weren't pushed towards that. But that isn't it. There is a lot of corruption and hatred in the world." She stood up and took a step towards him. "If I said you could join a group that was bent on completely overhauling everything, would you agree? Even if some drastic measures needed to be taken?"

"I…"

"Can you honestly say that what happened today should just be forgotten?" Naruto stilled. "It will be. People will think of it as tragic, they will send well wishes, but that's it. Come a two months from now, nobody will be talking about it anymore. That's just how things work. It's how the kingdom is run."

"But…That isn't right…"

"No, it isn't…" She smiled at him. "But it can be changed. Although some necessary methods to change it may be frowned upon and looked at in a bad light, it can happen." She offered him a hand. "So if I offered you a chance to change the world, would you?" Off to the side, Emerald remained silent.

Naruto stared at her hand. After a minute, he gained a determined look and grasped. Looking into her eyes, he nodded. "I'm with you all the way." Cinder's smile grew even more.

All according to plan.

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 4!**

 **People! I've got** _ **reasons**_ **for the crap I pull! So don't shit on me until you see the entire scope of things!** _ **Then**_ **you can ridicule me for the stuff I write.**

 **If you are wondering how I based my aura level numbers, I actually went and looked at the power chart Jack Rakan made in Negima and based it off of that.**

 **The weapon is decided!**

 **Like everyone else in the world besides Rooster Teeth, I have no idea what Cinder's goal is. Because of that, I'm going with what I want. I'll try to keep it aligned with canon, but I reserve the right to diverge.**

 **What is the plural of Grimm? Is it Grimms? Or just Grimm?**

 **I would like to say it again…I do not consider myself to be an overly creative person. Sorry if you don't like how I'm doing things, but this is how it is.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	5. Chapter 5

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 5!**

 **How was your Christmas? Mine was great.**

 **So, how were those feels in the last chapter?**

 **Some of you didn't like me killing the kids and some of you did. For those who liked it, you have great taste! For those who didn't, sorry! That has been the plan from the near beginning. I needed a sensible way for Naruto to be pushed over the edge, and that was it!**

 **Looking back, I was kind of sparse on the review responses last chapter. I apologize for that. I normally do way more than that, but I was super tired when I finally finished the chapter and I just wanted to upload the thing. This meant I was short in the responses.**

 **Thanks for the info! I'll use Grimm from now on.**

 **So the poll stayed up the entire week. I legitimately didn't remember it until like Wednesday or something. By that point, I didn't care about taking it down. As I write this, Ruby is winning with 25 votes, Cinder behind her with 23, and Neo in third with 14. Those results were relatively expected. I'm going to continue leaving it open, cuz why not?**

 **If you think I have Naruto a little too angst-ish in this chapter, keep reading.**

 **I'm terrible at descriptions, I've said this. If you want pictures, read the ending AN. (You'll figure out what I'm talking about)**

* * *

 **The Flame of Judgement: What you say is a very real possibility…**

 **Guest: :P**

 **KL StarBlaze: I know, right?**

 **SHMANDER: And you shall have it!**

 **10000future naruto: I'm glad I could help! I know exactly how you feel. I've only been writing stories for about 4 months, but I still have the occasional urge to just stop for a while. Reading positive reviews really help me keep it up!**

 **six samurai of dragon slayer: Read the chapter!**

 **lonevisored: Thanks! I enjoy the occasional bad guy Naruto story, but it never really makes sense to me when the writer has him just instantly turn evil without much explanation.**

 **Dark Void Princess 21: Thanks! It is kind of annoying to work without any info, but I'm trying.**

 **Azarune: I would go yell at you to check it out, but that would make me a hypocrite. I've done that a couple times with different series. Naruto changing Cinder? :P Who knows? (Sometimes, not even I do) And give writing a shot! It is kinda fun. I suggest you write a chapter,** _ **make sure to proofread it**_ **, and post it with a fair warning that you might not continue. That's what I did. And I thought your username looked familiar! Have you reviewed in Twilight Key as well?**

 **Gunbladez19: Heartstrings were tugged? Then I did a good job!**

 **NotSoSlimSh4dy: That made me laugh a bit. Not very shy about your opinion, are you?**

 **Lightningblade49: Correct me if I'm wrong, but the negativity sensing wasn't given to Naruto until after he gained the Kyūbi chakra mode, right? As for what Kyūbi thinks…:P**

 **tarrangar: That's debatable.**

 **LordGhostStriker: You know it. It might not happen, but I like to leave my options open.**

 **SeigZeon: That movie was awesome!**

 **Soul Verdance: :P**

 **Kogasa94: What? Where did that connection come from?**

 **Guest: Are you the same dude as above?**

 **Some random dude: At this point in the timeline, Kurama never said anything to Naruto unless Naruto himself went into the seal. Overall, I'm sort of fine with those stories where Kurama suddenly has the ability to speak into Naruto's mind without any reasonable explanation, but this isn't one of them.**

 **MyHipsAreMovingOnTheirOwn: Before the time skip, Naruto had no control over Kurama's chakra beyond summoning it as a last ditch effort. It often came out when he was extremely mad. That even continued into Shippuden.**

 **betinlara897: Well, you may or may not be disappointed.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Cinder's Place (Three Days Later)**

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, Cinder." Cinder looked up from her scroll to see a slightly scowling Naruto dressed in his normal attire and standing in the doorway. She nodded and stood up to join him.

"Alright, let's get going." The two of them walked out the door.

Three days had gone by since the Grimm attack at the park. Ever since then, Naruto had been in an angry mood. He was coming out of it as time went on, but it was still an obvious difference from how he had acted before. Despite his rage disappearing from the surface, she was sure that he would not forget what happened so easily. The events at the park were now something that drove him. It gave him another reason to fight. He now fought to change things.

He fought to help realize _her_ goals.

"So…Where exactly are we going?" Cinder looked to Naruto and smiled.

"You will have to wait." She said.

Naruto looked put out by the response, but still nodded his head. "Yeah, sure…" His attitude amused her somewhat.

"Patience, Naruto. All your questions will be answered soon." The two of them exited the building onto the late-night street. Cinder led him to a nearby car, making Naruto raise an eyebrow because it was the first time he had seen it. "For now, just enjoy the car ride." She opened the back door of the car and motioned for him to get in. He did so and Cinder stepped in after him. "You know where to go, take us there." Naruto turned his eyes to the person in the driver's seat and they widened slightly.

"Wha…Is that an-"

"An android driving the car?" Cinder finished for him, smile still on her lips. "Yes, it is." Behind the wheel was a dark grey android with a red visor.

Naruto looked back to her. "Where did you get an android to drive you around?"

Cinder's smile grew minutely. "I've told you before, I know some people. One or two of them have access to this kind of technology. All I had to do was ask and they were kind enough to grant me one." He opened his mouth again, no doubt to ask more questions, but she cut him off. "You can ask your questions after we reach our destination."

Although he was still slightly reluctant to wait, Naruto agreed. He turned his head to look out the window and sat there in silence while absently watching the scenery go by. As it frequently had over the past few days, his mind went back to the park and how he failed to protect Amy and the others. He couldn't to save her, even though he was right there. She had been screaming for him to save her.

And he had _failed_.

His scowl became more pronounced as his mind followed this train of thought. "It wasn't your fault, Naruto." Cerulean eyes snapped back to amber ones.

"What?"

She gave him a sad look. "I said that it wasn't your fault. You did the best you could, so there is no reason to blame yourself for what happened."

The scowl on his face deepened. "I wasn't able to save them. I should have never listened to that cop and instead made sure for myself that they were safe." He shook his head in a frustrated manner. "But no, I didn't. And Amy, Zack, their mom, and everyone else there paid for it."

"That is still no reason to blame yourself. You do not even know for sure if you could have gotten to them in time."

"But what about Amy?!" He yelled. "I could have saved her! I should have been able to! She was right there!" Naruto didn't notice, but his eyes flashed red for a moment.

Despite his obvious anger, Cinder remained calm. "That still is no reason to blame yourself. You couldn't know that she was still in danger. Not only that, but there were a lot of Grimm out there."

"It doesn't matter! I was supposed to protect her!" It seemed to hurt him to say that. He looked down. "She was a precious person and I failed to protect her…" The energy Naruto had was quickly burning out as his momentary rage left him. "They died when they didn't need to…"

"And that's what you will be fighting to change." He looked back to her and was met with a small sad smile. "You are fighting to change things so that tragedy never repeats itself, don't forget that." She reached her arms out and pulled him into a hug, surprising him greatly. "Please don't lose yourself to your grief and rage." She said quietly. "You can use them as a driving force, but don't let them consume you. Many people have lost themselves like that…Don't forsake the bonds you still have to reach your goals."

Naruto's mind immediately flashed to Sasuke. _'I…I'm acting like an idiot…'_ He nodded minutely. "…I got it…" Slowly, he raised his arms and awkwardly returned the hug. "…Thank you…"

Because of the hug, Naruto didn't see the victorious smirk flash across Cinder's face. "It isn't a problem." She pulled back from the hug. "You can always come to me if you have ever want someone to talk to. It doesn't matter if it is advice, to get something off your chest, or to just talk. I'll always welcome it."

He grinned at her. "Thanks."

* * *

 **One Car Ride Later**

Cinder looked out the window as the car pulled to a stop. "We're here." She said.

Naruto looked out the window and took note of their location. "A warehouse district?" He asked in confusion. He followed when Cinder got out of the car and started walking towards the nearest warehouse. "What are we doing here?"

"We are here to bring you up to speed, of course." Cinder didn't turn to look at him while she answered, instead walking straight through the wide door of the warehouse. Following her in, Naruto was momentarily caught off guard by the contents of the warehouse.

Spread throughout the wide room was a large number of crates, but that isn't what surprised him, that was expected of a warehouse. What surprised him was the fact that there were a bunch of similarly dressed people walking around and working. It took Naruto a moment to remember, but he could tell by their outfits that these were the same people who were acting as henchmen to that guy with the orange hair who robbed the dust shop.

The henchmen were moving about the crates and unloading them off of a bullhead that was parked in the warehouse. As they unloaded the crates, someone would come by and check the contents before directing it to be moved to a certain spot.

"Come on. You can ask your questions after I finish explaining to you what's going on." Naruto nodded at Cinder's words and continued walking with her. They soon reached the back of the warehouse and came upon a large map on the wall with a table in front of it. Someone was already sitting at the table while playing a game on her scroll, but looked up and grinned when she heard them come closer.

"Cinder! Naruto!"

Naruto blinked in slight surprise. "Hey, Emerald…" He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Emerald was in the room when Cinder asked him if he would like to join her. Since Cinder did not mind Emerald's presence, that must mean that she was a part of the group.

Cinder nodded to Emerald. "Good evening, Emerald." She took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for Naruto to take a seat to her immediate right. Emerald was sitting to his immediate right. "Nice to see you're on time. I know that can sometimes be difficult for you." Emerald smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry about that…But it is totally Mercury's fault most of the time!"

"Don't kid yourself." A male voice said from behind some crates. Naruto turned to look at the owner of the voice as he stepped into view.

It was a boy that looked to be around Emerald's age that had silver-grey eyes and hair that was partially covering the right side of his face. He had on a grey and black two-tone partial-zip jacket and black pants with grey stripes going down the sides of his legs. Around his waist was a notched belt with a sash draped over it while he also had black fingerless gloves on his hands. Naruto couldn't help but notice the strange boots he had on. If he had to guess, that was this guy's weapon.

"It is your fault most of the time because you want to take on 'side missions.'" Emerald glared at him.

"At least I pull my own weight around here."

"I already do. You just have more weight to pull."

Emerald surged to her feet. "Are you calling me fat, you son of a-"

"Mercury. Emerald." Cinder's voice served as enough incentive for them to immediately stop talking. "I would appreciate it if you could at least hold off on your usual petty squabbles until _after_ this meeting is concluded." Amber eyes that seemed to glow moved between the two stiff teens.

"…Yeah…No problem…"

"…You got it…"

Cinder nodded. "Mercury, please take your seat." Mercury nodded and quickly moved over to the seat directly across from Emerald. "Now, where are the others?" She asked.

Mercury took a glance around and shook his head. "I don't know. I know Neo at least is here somewhere, but I'm not sure where."

Suddenly, Naruto felt something brush against his cheek. Startled because he didn't notice anyone get that close, he whipped his head around. Confusion colored his face when he didn't see anyone there.

Cinder raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the matter, Naruto?"

After a moment, he shook his head. "…Nothing…I guess I just imagined it…" He relaxed back into his seat, but jumped when he felt something else flick the back of his head. Naruto jumped to his feet and pulled out a kunai. "The hell is that?"

The others stared at him confusion for a moment, but realization soon came to Cinder and an amused expression took over. "Neopolitan, please stop messing with him."

Naruto looked over to her in confusion. "What?" His question was answered when the air in front of him cracked like glass before shattering to reveal a rather short young woman.

She had long hair that went down to her back, but it was split into two colors. The left side of her hair was brown while the right side was pink with white streaks. Her eyes mirrored her hair as her left eye was pink and the right one was brown. The girl, Neopolitan, had on a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, and grey high-heeled boots. She had a corset on under her jacket along with multiple necklaces around her neck. In her hand was a majorly pink and white umbrella.

Neo smiled at him and waved. After a moment, Naruto did the same in return, making her smile grow. "It isn't nice to startle people like that, Neo." Neo smiled over to Cinder upon hearing the soft rebuke. Taking a moment to shrug, Neo waltzed over to the seat to the left of Mercury. "Now where is the last one…?"

"I'm right here, _your highness_." The group turned to the owner of the voice.

Upon seeing who it was, Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh, you." He said quietly.

The man with the orange hair nodded to him with a smirk before taking a seat to Cinder's left. "Nice to see you again, kid. Have you thought about what I said?" He asked. Naruto looked uncomfortable at the question and chose to shrug and look away instead of answering. The smirk on the man's face grew. "You _did_. Oh, that is great news. It's nice to know there are still kids out there who know how to accept advice." He turned his eyes to Cinder. "So? Why did you tell us to be here?"

Cinder nodded. "I've asked you all to be here in order to meet our newest member." She gestured to Naruto. "This is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto nodded. "He just recently accepted my invitation so I decided to have him meet you all." Glancing to Naruto, she continued. "Naruto, going clockwise around the table, this is Roman Torchwick..."

Roman tipped his hat. "You're in for a ride…"

"Mercury Black…"

Mercury waved lazily. "Hey."

"Neopolitan…" Neo silently smiled and waved again. "And Emerald Sustrai."

Emerald grinned at him. "I'm glad you joined." Naruto grinned back at her.

"These are the people who have agreed to join me to achieve our goals." Cinder finished. Naruto looked to her in curiosity.

"You told me that this group was set on changing everything, but what exactly do you mean by that?" He asked her.

Roman snorted and placed an arm on the table before resting his head against a fist. "Isn't _that_ the million Lien question? Good luck finding out, kid. She isn't exactly _eager_ to share much of the specifics…" He froze when Cinder turned her eyes to him.

"I am reluctant to tell you much because you have a bad habit of running your mouth. If you exercised some control, then I would be willing to tell you more." She looked back to Naruto. "As I told you before, this group desires change in the world, and that is exactly what we are working towards."

Naruto frowned in thought. "And one of those we can change is how people act…The corruption and the hate…"

Cinder smiled and nodded. "Yes, precisely. As it is now, the corrupt and selfish people are the ones in power. And that corruption is present throughout every level of the ladder."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do you remember that police officer who told you everyone got out safely?" Naruto scowled. "Exactly. That is what I'm talking about. When it comes to the treatment of the Faunus, there is often little to no equality. Sometimes, such racism leads to death…As hard as it is to admit, people like that are everywhere." Roman looked away innocently. "But that isn't it. There's more to it than that."

"How so?"

"The racism towards the Faunus isn't the only problem out there. Crime and hatred comes in many more varieties than just racism to the Faunus. There are people out there who will treat others like trash simply because there is no one out there to stop them. No one to get even. As it is currently going, the world is on its way to ruin. The kingdoms are currently at peace, but how long will that last? Something will eventually come by and shatter that peace." Cinder told him.

Naruto looked down in thought. "…I think I understand…"

"But do you understand what must be done to change things?" He looked back to her.

"What do you mean by that?"

Cinder stared him straight in the eyes. "Change won't come easily. Often times, people will fight it with everything they have. This means that we need to fight back…That we need to make some hard decisions that we may not like…"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he glanced to Roman for a moment. "You haven't said it yet, but it is pretty obvious…This is a criminal group, isn't it?" Cinder stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Yes. Many of the things we do are illegal. We have agreed that they are necessary steps to reach the end goal."

"…Necessary evil, huh?" He sighed. That was basically what shinobi were all about. Doing the difficult tasks that no one wanted to do in order to complete their mission…Sacrificing a village to save a country. "…I might be fine with that…" He eventually said.

Cinder raised an eyebrow at him. "You are?"

Nodding, he continued. "I'm not completely new to the idea doing unappealing tasks…" He looked at her. "What kind of things are we talking about?"

She gestured to Roman. "You're already aware of Roman's criminal activities. Dust robbery is currently common with us."

Roman smirked. "You won't find a better crook in all of Remnant."

"There are other times when we have to break into secured areas to retrieve something of importance." Cinder continued. "Spying is another thing we occasionally do."

"…What about killing others?" Naruto eventually asked.

She stared back at him for a minute. "I will not lie to you. We occasionally have people we deem necessary to eliminate."

Naruto frowned slightly and looked down in thought again. "Right…" How far was he willing to go to change things? Morality had always been something important to him, and being a criminal went against that. Was changing things worth changing his beliefs? Green eyes, devoid of the joy they always had, floated into his mind.

It was.

He looked back to Cinder. "I said it before, I'm with you all the way." A smirk appeared on his face. "I don't go back on my word." Cinder smiled at him.

"Then welcome to the group, Naruto."

Roman grinned widely and spread his arms in celebration. "This is just wonderful! You're going to have a blast, kid. I just know we're going to be the best of friends!" Naruto was pretty sure that was just sarcasm.

"But!" That brought Roman and his celebrating up short. "I have some conditions."

The orange haired criminal lowered his arms. "Huh?"

Cinder just looked at Naruto for a moment before nodding. "What are they?"

Naruto raised a finger. "First, I don't do senseless cruelty. I'm talking about hurting someone without a reason. If you can't explain to me _why_ I should hurt or steal from someone, then I'm not doing it." Cinder nodded.

"That is agreeable."

"Good." A second finger joined the first. "Second, I only take orders from you." The others blinked in surprise. "I'm not following any orders unless I know they came from you."

She smirked. "That was a given."

Naruto nodded and raised a third finger. "Third and last…" He paused.

"No one gets left behind."

This final condition stunned the others. Naruto grinned at them. "I am never going to abandon a comrade and I would rather die than do it to a friend. If we're going to do this, it will be with all of us there at the end."

Cinder blinked in surprise before her smile returned. "I agree to your terms and conditions, Naruto." He nodded. "But I hope you don't mind me establishing one of my own…"

Naruto shrugged. "That's fair."

"Good…My condition is that you don't interfere."

This condition surprised Naruto. "What?" What did that mean?

She looked unsurprised by his confusion. "I'm talking about you don't interfere in some of our operations." She gestured to Roman. "For example, Roman will occasionally rob a dust shop where the owner has done nothing wrong and is fair to everyone…I won't make you help rob the shop, but don't stop us from robbing it."

Naruto couldn't help the grimace that appeared on his face as a result of the condition. He _really_ didn't like it, but he still nodded. As long as he didn't have to help, then he could agree to it. He would just remind himself that shinobi didn't always get the prettiest of missions. "I understand, don't worry about it."

He got a nod from Cinder in return. "Great." She looked to the others. "Anything you want to ask?" She asked them. Mercury nodded.

"Yeah, what's he good at?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at the blunt question. "I mean, I know he can fight, but we all can. Is that it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "If my ability to kick your ass isn't enough…" Mercury scowled while Emerald grinned. "…Then you should also note that I am awesome at stealth." The others at the table looked interested at the claim.

Emerald was the first to speak up. "You are?" She asked and was returned with a cocky smirk.

"You know it. Good luck trying to find me when I don't want to be found." No need to mention that Iruka and the old man had the uncanny ability to find him no matter where he was. The old man had that crystal ball while Iruka…wasn't a normal chūnin.

"Interesting…" Cinder mused. "We will have to test that at some point." He nodded.

"Sure. Whenever is fine with me." Cinder nodded.

Roman chose that moment to speak up. "So he _can_ fight? I just thought that you were a kid in way over your head back when we first met." He grinned and leaned forward. "So, how strong are you?"

Naruto seemed to consider the question before he glanced to Cinder. She seemed to understand his silent question as she shook her head. "How much you tell him is up to you." Roman looked interested in the interaction as Naruto nodded.

"What? Is it something unexpected?"

"Could be…" Naruto said with his smirk quickly returning. "How about the fact that I can both move at high speeds _and_ create an army of clones?" The eyes of Roman, Mercury, and Neo all widened at this. Naruto didn't mind telling them about his identity as Kitsune. Cinder knew from the start and Emerald saw him with his mask down a few days ago, so he might as well tell them.

Roman was to the first to recover as his grin returned. "Well, that must mean you're Kitsune! That is truly impressive, kid! I look forward to working with you." It was at that point that he thought of something. "Are you going to be working as Naruto or Kitsune in the field?"

Naruto blinked. _'Didn't think about that…'_ He turned to Cinder for an answer.

"It is ultimately up to you, but why not use the identity of Kitsune? I'm sure Roman can tell you how annoying it sometimes is if you cannot go out into public for too long…" Roman grimaced and nodded.

"It is slightly annoying that I can't even take a walk in the park in the middle of the day if I want to." Naruto nodded before looking back to Cinder.

"If there is nothing else…" Nothing was said. "Then you all can return to what you were doing while I bring Naruto up to speed a bit more." The others nodded before getting up and walking away. Neo grinned and waved to him, making him blink and do the same. Once they were all gone, he looked back to Cinder.

"Interesting people." His comment seemed to amuse her somewhat.

"We have a variety of personalities gathered here, yes."

* * *

 **GRM Works (The Next Day)**

"Hello! Welcome to GRM Works!" The man behind the counter blinked in surprise when he saw Naruto before a wide grin spread across his face. "Oh, welcome back! Your new weapon is ready. Just give me a moment to get it from the back." Naruto nodded and he walked through the employee only door. After a minute, he came back through the door with a case in his hands. "Here you are!"

Naruto opened the case and grinned down at the contents. "This is perfect." He looked back to the man. "And all of the specifications have been applied?" He got a nod in return.

"Yes, of course. It is exactly as you requested." This answer made the grin on Naruto's face grow even more.

"Awesome…Is it possible to get something to hold this in? Something I can wear?"

The man nodded again. "That's not a problem. I'll get one in a moment. Is there anything else?"

Naruto thought about it. He had an awesome weapon to use now, but… _'Would it be a good idea for me to get something else to use as Kitsune?'_

* * *

"Please come again!" Naruto smiled as he adjusted his new weapons in their spot on his legs. The purchase he just picked up came in two parts, so he put one part on each leg. He was about to turn and walk away, but his vision turned black and red.

"Naruto! You did get a weapon!" Ruby was bouncing up and down in place as she grinned madly at him. "Oh, you've got to show me! What is it? A sword? A gun? A spear? Oh, oh! I bet it's some kind of hybrid, isn't it? But what?" She was starting to ramble out of excitement, so Naruto chose to interject.

"Ruby!" Naruto's shout served to be enough to stop her. "Give me a chance to speak and you might find out." He said with an amused smile.

Ruby blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right…sorry."

Naruto shook his head. "It isn't a problem, but you really didn't give me a chance to speak." And people told him _he_ could be a chatterbox. "So you want to know what I got?" Her excitement quickly returned as she started to nod rapidly. Naruto smirked. "Well, why should I tell you?"

Silver eyes widened at that question while Ruby started to wave her arms around quickly. "Wh-Why wouldn't you?" She just had to know!

"I don't know…" Naruto shrugged carelessly. "Where's the fun in just telling you?" His smirk grew.

Ruby paused. "Wha?"

"I mean, I don't know what you have either. I'm pretty curious about it, but having you just tell me wouldn't really get the point across…" He did his best to say this in an innocent tone of voice.

Slowly, Ruby lowered her arms. "So…What then?"

Naruto's smirk turned into a full blown grin. "I say we have a spar. That's the best way to showcase weapons."

This suggestion greatly surprised her. "A spar?" A feeling of competitive excitement bubbled in her. "You want to spar with me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like fun to me…Unless you don't want to?" He tilted his head.

"No! No! That's not it!" She grinned widely. "I'm all for it!" Suddenly, her entire stature deflated. "But…Where are we going to do it? We can't just do it in the streets or a park…Not only that, we also need to have someone to referee…"

"Sounds interesting…" A voice said. "I can provide both." The two of them turned to look at the speaker. While Naruto didn't recognize him, Ruby seemed to because a wide grin split across her face again.

"Uncle Qrow!"

Standing there was a man with greying black hair, spiky hair, and red eyes. His choice of attire consisted of a tattered red cloak, grey dress shirt that had a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. The man had a ring on his right index finger, two rings on his fourth finger, and a pendant with a crooked cross. In one arm was a brown paper bag while the other was holding a flask. On his back was some sort of weapon. Naruto could easily detect the smell of alcohol on the man from where he was standing.

The man nodded to the two of them. "It isn't often that people who aren't at least in Beacon or on that level challenge Ruby to a fight, forget about people who are younger than her…She can beat most of them."

Ruby smiled and brought a hand up to rub the back of her head. "Aw, you don't have to say th-"

"But she still sucks overall." Ruby instantly seemed to wilt as an air of depression descended on her.

"You're so mean to me…"

Qrow ignored her and continued to look at Naruto, who continued to stare back. "I would call you an idiot, especially given your age and the fact that I haven't seen you at Signal, but your eyes tell me you know what you're doing…"

Naruto remained silent. He could tell just by looking that this was someone who was strong. Like _strong_. Qrow seemed relaxed and casual, but so had Kakashi most of the time, and look at him. This man greatly reminded Naruto of his silver haired sensei.

Ruby chose that moment to perk back up and look at her uncle. "Uncle Qrow, what are you doing here?"

He finally broke eye contact with Naruto and turned to look at her before raising the bag in his hand. "My stash was running low so I came to restock it. As I was passing nearby, I heard chatter so annoying it could only belong to you, so I came to see what's got you all excited." He ignored her depression again. "So, what do you say? I provided the place and the supervision, and you two give me a good show."

Naruto blinked and traded glances with Ruby. After a moment, the both of them turned back to Qrow.

"Sounds good."

"I'm all for it!"

* * *

"Really, Qrow…You can't just show up out of nowhere like this and ask for me to let you use my dueling arena…" A tired and annoyed voice grouched.

"Yeah, Yeah, thanks Jimmy." Jimmy sighed and walked back into the main part of the building. Qrow turned to Naruto and Ruby. "This is a dueling arena that belongs to him and he's an old friend of mine. We go way back, so don't worry about it."

Naruto sweat dropped. They had literally shown up unannounced to someone else's -rather large- home and requested to use their personal arena. It was obvious that the man was familiar with Qrow and his antics because he didn't put up much of an argument. "Right…"

Qrow nodded. "Both of you go to either side of the arena and wait for me to give you the go ahead." Naruto nodded without question, but Ruby seemed hesitant.

"Um…Aren't you going to connect our aura levels to your scroll? You know…so you can tell when one of us is too tired to continue?" She asked.

Instead of answering her right away, Qrow instead chose to take another swig of his flask. After releasing a sigh of content, he answered. "Nah." Ruby deflated again while Naruto felt slightly amused. "Too much of a pain in the ass. Just fight. If I see one of you in danger, I'll step in." He brought the flask back up, but kept it there for several long moments this time. "Trust me, I'm a Huntsman."

"Right…" With another sigh, Ruby walked over to her place as Naruto did the same. Once they were both in the correct place, Qrow nodded. "Now take out your weapons."

Ruby grinned and reached for the red thing on her lower back. Taking it off of the holster, she pressed a button to unfold it. Naruto watched in surprise as Ruby spun around while twirling her weapon before pointing it at him. "A scythe?"

Her grin grew even more. "This is my baby, Crescent Rose!" Her weapon was a large, red and black scythe.

Naruto took in the menacing weapon. "That's pretty impressive looking…" He smirked. "But I still like mine better!" He reached his hands down to his new weapons and took them out of the holster. "Excuse me if I don't have any fancy display for you, I haven't had any time to practice one yet." He slid into a battle stance with his weapons in his hands.

Ruby was confused at the lacking items. "Just a pair of handles?" In both of Naruto's hands were silver objects with blue trims that appeared to be nothing more than a pair of handles. They were both about a foot in length with the cylindrical grip changing into a shape that looked as if the blade of a sword could fit in it.

"Like hell." Naruto's smirk grew and he pressed a button on each 'handle.' At once, his weapons started to shift. Starting at the point halfway down the handles, the weapons suddenly curved until they were a little beyond the position where they vaguely resembled the general shape of a gun. "Now watch carefully." Focusing on his chakra, Naruto started to channel it into the grips. As if a switch had been flipped, blue blades that looked to be made out of some type of energy shot out of them. A low hum filled the room as the weapons came to life. "These are-"

"Oh my dust! Those are Twin Crea Daggers!" Ruby gushed. She looked as if she was only a second away from rushing over to him and getting a closer look. "They are the state of the art weapon that was only showcased a couple months ago! _How did you get them_?!"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "I bought them."

"You _can't_ just buy them! They aren't being mass produced yet!"

Qrow hummed in interest. "She's right…You must know some pretty high up people to get those…"

A small frown made its way onto Naruto's face. He didn't know that these weren't even on the market yet. The guy at the shop didn't even say anything about it. With a shrug, he spoke up. "I guess…"

Despite his less than excited response, Ruby was still bouncing in place. "That is so cool!"

"But I'm curious…" Naruto looked over to Qrow when he started speaking. "The Twin Crea Daggers are supposedly something that not just anybody can use…The thing that forms the blades is the aura of the wielder…Meaning that you have a large amount of aura to be able to use them for long periods of time…" His red eyes moved to Naruto's. "Do you?"

The smirk came back to Naruto. "One of the things I'm proudest of is the amount of aura I have."

Qrow smirked and nodded his head. "I would be too if I was your age and was able to use those…Although it's pretty obvious you are new to those." Naruto grinned sheepishly. Just by taking a single glance at his battle stance and grip, Qrow was positive that Naruto hadn't had much of chance to use them yet.

"Yeah, this is my first time fighting with them. I'm just going to learn as I go."

Qrow nodded. There were plenty of people who did that. He took another swig of his flask. "Ruby!" Said girl flinched. "Stop gawking and get ready to fight!"

She grinned and slid back into a battle stance. "Right!"

Seeing that the both of them were ready, Qrow nodded. "The two of you will spar until a winner is decided or I say stop. You can use any weapons you have on you, your semblances, and any tactics. The only rule is to not kill each other. If I think things have gone too far, I will step in. Other than what I just said, no rules, so go nuts." He took another swig.

 **Play Fairy Tail OST - Fairy Tail Rising Extended**

"Ready?"

"I'm good to go."

"Ready!"

He nodded. "Then begin!"

Without any further words, Ruby quickly swung her scythe around so the tip of the shaft was pointed behind her. Bang! Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when Ruby suddenly shot towards him at high speeds with her scythe coming back and aiming at his head.

"Whoa!" He leaned back to avoid the scythe. Using the momentum of his dodge, he brought his leg up to kick at her. Ruby seemed surprised by him dodging and being able to counter, but she recovered fast enough to pull the trigger again to dodge. Bang! She flew back and gained some distance. "So it's also a gun…" Naruto said as he stood back up. "And to top it off, you're pretty fast…"

Ruby grinned at him. "Thanks! You won't find anyone faster than me!"

"Oh?" Naruto grinned. "I like to think I'm fast as well…I bet I would surprise you!" He shot forward as he rushed her. The speed he was going at surprised her, but she was still able to jump out of the way of his right dagger. "It isn't that simple!" Predicting that she would dodge such a simple attack, Naruto immediately jumped into the air in pursuit and kicked her in the chest. Bam!

"Ow!" Ruby fell back towards the ground and looked up. Seeing the danger that she was in, she pointed her scythe to the side and shot another round. Bang! The very next moment, Naruto landed in the spot she was in with his swipe meeting nothing but air. Ruby looked at him with wide eyes. "You're fast!" An excited grin made a return on her face. "Wow, you have a speed semblance too?! That's awesome!"

Naruto shrugged with his grin still intact and got back into a battle stance. "I guess I do." Ruby grinned even more. She was excited to finally meet someone else who could move at high speeds. Up until now, she has had trouble finding people who could keep up with her and dodge her attacks. She had actually been fighting Naruto at a slower speed than she could have been moving at, but now that she knew he could handle it, why not step it up?

"Then you can handle this!" Bang! Naruto's eyes widened again when Ruby's body disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving nothing but rose petals behind. At the same instant, his instincts screamed for him to jump to the side. Not even stopping to think about it, Naruto followed them and leapt to the right. Bang! He was just in time as Crescent Rose slammed into the spot he had been in.

' _Holy crap!'_ Naruto didn't let himself drop his guard in surprise, instead recovering quickly enough to cross his arms in front of his chest as a shield. Wham! Ruby had used the still impaled Crescent Rose as support to spin her body around in midair and kick him. Not wanting to give her a chance to do anything else, he tossed one of the daggers into the air before grabbing her leg and tugging.

"Wha?!" Ruby squawked at the unexpected contact and let go of her weapon. Naruto then pumped some chakra into his arm and spun around to hurl her away. The moment he let go of her leg, he caught his dagger in his free hand and followed.

Ruby landed on her feet, but was alarmed to see she was being attacked. Now that she didn't have her weapon, she had nothing to attack with and had to rely only on her speed to get out of the way. While that normally wouldn't be a problem, the usual people she fought were the ones who were super slow, in her opinion.

Naruto wasn't.

She could dodge him with her semblance, but she would need to use it to a greater degree…which ran the risk of her messing up. _'No time to think! Just do!'_ She ducked under a left swipe from Naruto…Bam! But was caught off guard by the knee that suddenly impacted her face. Ruby quickly rolled back while clutching her face. She pouted at him. "You'll pay for that one…" Whoosh! Bam!

"Guh!" Naruto grunted in pain when Ruby shot forward and her foot impacted his chest. Ruby tried use this as an opening to speed past him and get to her weapon, but was unable to when Naruto made a grab at her cloak.

"Geh!" Ruby's tongue shot out of her mouth as she was suddenly choked. She felt Naruto tug on her, attempting to pull her back. With no other option, she shot her hands up to her collar and undid the fasteners of the cloak. Now that she was released, she continued the rush for her scythe. A triumphant grin lit up her face when she grabbed it. "Got it!"

She whirled it around and slid back into a battle stance with it pointing behind her. Glaring at Naruto, she spoke up. "Not only did you make me take off my cloak, you _also_ separated me from my baby…" She crouched. "I won't forgive you!" Bang! Wham!

"Gah!" Naruto flew to the side when the back of her scythe crashed into him. Bang! Not giving him any time to recover, Ruby shot after him again to start a combo. Bam! Naruto growled at the unrelenting assault. Clang! He raised a dagger to block another attack while the other one slashed at her. Bang! Ruby used the recoil again to launch back and dodge. _'That speed it too annoying!'_

A wide grin was on Ruby's face. "You'll never be able to hit me~" She sang. "Your weapons are too short, making it so you have to be at arm's length to get me." Her smile faltered when a smirk came back to Naruto's face.

"Then I'll have to fix that…" He pressed another button on his daggers. The next moment, they were back to the original shape they came in. Because the blades were still out, Naruto was now holding a pair of twin short swords. "How about now?!" Whoosh!

Clang! With wide eyes, Ruby raised her scythe to block the left blade. Naruto's attack was not done however. The second blade soon came from the other side. Ruby grunted in pain when it sliced into her side. Her aura protected her from any major damage, but it still hurt. Not to mention it ruined her clothes.

Not wanting to relent, Naruto brought the other blade back to attack from another angle while she was surprised by the pain. This one managed to land a hit on her leg. He soon brought the other one back to attack again.

"Grr…No you don't!" Ruby bit out. Clang! Clang! The next few moments were spent with her using her scythe to block all of Naruto's attacks. This time, she made sure to not lose sight of one blade while blocking the other. Clang!

Sweat was starting to gather on their foreheads and their breaths were also laboring. Using her semblance to fight at even higher speeds than she normally did when against another person was taking its toll on the both of them. Silver eyes widened when one of Naruto's downward slashes turned out to be a feint. Bam! Naruto's leg impacted her body and sent her back.

Ruby managed to keep her grip on Crescent Rose and landed in a kneeling position. She took this chance to take some much needed deep breaths and assess the situation. _'I can't keep going for much longer…But I can still move faster to end this in one good attack!'_ She stood up and got into a crouch where her scythe was pointed behind her.

Knowing what was about to happen, Naruto crouched in preparation as well. Although slightly winded, he still had plenty of energy to keep going. Bang!

Naruto hissed in pain when a gash was made in his chest. _'She's even faster!'_ Bam! A kick impacted the side of his head, making him growl. _'I'm not losing that easily!'_ His arm shot out to slash at her, but it missed and only hit rose petals. Ruby reappeared in a stumble a few feet away. _'…She nearly tripped. Is she tired?'_ Whoosh! Naruto rushed her, but met nothing but rose petals again. Wham! Another kick hit him in the side. Naruto whirled around to slash at her, but met missed again.

"Whoa!" Ruby blurred back into existence with her feet skidding across the floor. She was panting even more from the exertion.

' _She's having trouble going that fast and not messing up. I just have to move a little faster…'_ Naruto focused on his chakra and spread it throughout his entire body. It wouldn't be anything like Lee's speed, but it would still help. He crouched before shooting forward.

"Wha-" Bam! Due to the surprise caused by his speed increase, Naruto's fist impacted her. _'He could move faster too?!'_ Ruby flipped back with Crescent Rose. Bang! She used another shot to move forward. This time, she used even more of her semblance. Her vision morphed into a tunnel, but she knew the spot Naruto was in.

Naruto was launched back when her attack hit him. Ignoring the burn in his muscles and pumping even more chakra to the bottom of his feet, he stopped his momentum. His head shot up to see Ruby crouching again before he grinned. As fast as his body would let him, he shot forward right when Ruby rushed him. Bam!

"Gah!" The next thing Ruby knew, a fist was embedded in her gut and all of the air left her. Because of the sudden halt in her movement, Crescent Rose flew out of her hands and to the other side of the room. Not wasting another second, Naruto grit his teeth and used all of his strength to push her back and onto the floor. Wham!

When the pain left her and her vision cleared, Ruby cracked open an eye. It and the other one shot open in shock when they saw a blue blade in inch in front of her nose. She was sprawled on her back with Naruto standing over her with a sword pointed at her. Although his breathing was heavy and he had some sweat running down his face, a wide grin was present. "I win."

 **End Music**

"Winner, Naruto!" Naruto backed off when he heard Qrow announce his victory. After quickly disabling his weapons and moving the right one into his left hand, he reached his now free hand out to her. "That was fun. We should try it again sometime."

Ruby just stared at the hand in shock for a moment before her excited grin made another return. Whoosh! Naruto blinked when Ruby disappeared from her spot on the ground and reappeared by his right side to look at his weapons. "That was amazing! I can't believe how good you are! And how fast! I mean, I'm still faster, but you're still fast! And you were awesome with your weapons even though you were new with them! Not to mentio-"

"Ruby, stop talking." She was muffled when Qrow placed a hand over her mouth. Despite this, Qrow was staring only at Naruto. "That was impressive, brat. I honestly wasn't sure if you would win…"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Thanks…" Getting such honest praise always felt good.

"But you still suck." And just like that, the good feeling was gone. Qrow retracted his hand from Ruby. "You both do."

The blond scowled at him. "The hell does that mean? I won!"

Qrow shrugged and instead chose to take a swig of his drink. "Sure, but that doesn't mean much when your opponent isn't that strong."

"Hey!"

"Both of you shut up and listen." Any and all protests from the two were immediately cut off. "Throughout that fight I analyzed the way that both of you fight and saw a crap ton of flaws." He looked to Ruby. "Let's start with Ruby." She looked extremely nervous to hear what he had to say.

"Y-yeah?"

"For someone your age, you fought great." She perked up a bit. "But how good you are for your age group won't help in the real world." She slumped. "You fought with little more in mind than 'swish, swish, stab.' I thought I taught you better than that. Most of your assaults were head on and relied on your speed to land hits. But what do you do when your opponent is also able to move at great speeds, like today? You were able to move faster, yes, but you weren't in complete control, and that was your downfall. Your opponent used your tunnel vision and high speed against you and had you land his attack for him. All he had to do was move into position." Ruby looked down at that. "And if you can't cover for it, then lose the cloak." That last one seemed to crush her completely. Qrow turned to Naruto, making him tense. "And you…"

Naruto gulped. "What about me?"

"As I said with Ruby, you are great for someone your age. Hell, I would even say fantastic. But you also have your flaws. Granted, many of those could be attributed to you being new to your weapons, but it doesn't matter in a fight. You had no set battle stance or maneuvers. You were able to think quickly on your feet a bit better than Ruby, but you still attacked head on for the most part." He paused. "Up until now, you always fought in a haphazard way and by surprising your opponents, didn't you?" Naruto opened his mouth to respond. "Don't say anything, I already know you did." The mouth closed again and a scowl formed. "That could work to an extent with hand to hand combat and even some blades, but you won't get very far like that. Start creating a style, brat." Naruto nodded.

It was then Qrow looked Naruto over again. "Another thing, your aura isn't as defensive as it should be. None of Ruby's attacks should have cut you that deeply." Naruto looked down to his body and saw that he had several cuts on his torso and arms. Blood was slowly trickling out in those spots. He could also feel the cuts slowly start to heal over, but hope Qrow didn't notice that.

Ruby noticed these for the first time when Qrow pointed them out. She gasped. "Oh, I am so sorry! Are you alright?! What am I saying? Of course you're not!" She grabbed his hand. "Come on! We need to get you treatment!" She moved to tug him away.

"Ruby, enough." Qrow's command stopped her cold. "If it was a problem, don't you think I would have stepped in?" He asked. "His aura doesn't give him as much protection as it should, but it is obvious he is used to this. I trusted him to know his limits, but I was still ready to step in." Ruby look conflicted but let go of Naruto's hand. "Brat, it looks like you also have some sort of speed ability, but not to the same extent as Ruby. At the same time, you look to have more stamina than average. Work to improve your speed." Naruto nodded again. "You have training, that much is obvious. I'm not going to ask from who or from where, because I honestly don't give a damn." Wow, that was blunt.

Qrow looked between the two of them. "You both still have a lot to improve upon." Qrow smirked while they deflated some more. "You aren't the strongest out there right now, but I know you will turn out to be a great Huntsman and Huntress." They blinked in surprise at his words before turning to each other and grinning. "I would say you're both about ready to enter Beacon." Qrow didn't miss the conflicted look that flashed across Naruto's face.

It was then that Ruby gasped. "That's right!" She was suddenly in Naruto's face with an excited expression. "You have weapons now! Have you thought about entering a training school? You should totally enter Signal! We would be the best of friends!"

Naruto raised his hands and took a step back. "I'm still…kinda unsure about going to a school and becoming a Huntsman?" Ruby looked disappointed and Qrow raised an eyebrow before shrugging.

"Whatever, not my problem." He turned away. "Let's get going, Ruby. I have things to do, you know." He started walking off.

Ruby pouted at her Uncle before grinning at Naruto. "See ya, Naruto! Thanks for the great fight!" She rushed over to Crescent Rose and picked it up before putting it away. "Bye!" With another cheerful wave, she left.

* * *

 **Cinder's Place (Later)**

Cinder raised an eyebrow when a slightly scuffed up Naruto walked into the apartment. "Have a nice day?" She asked.

He grinned at her. "Yeah, it was fun." She shrugged and left it alone, figuring she would find out later. "Hey, Cinder…"

"Yes?"

"Would me accepting the invite to attend Beacon cause problems?" Cinder looked at him with a small frown.

' _I don't like the sound of that…'_ "Not particularly…I can find a way to make it work…Why? Have you come to a decision?"

Naruto shrugged. "I think so. I just wanted to get a few more facts before I came to a final decision…"

She nodded. "That's a good idea." A smile appeared on her lips. "Remember that I don't mind what choice you make. I'll support it completely." His grin could have lit the entire room.

"Thanks."

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

Ozpin looked over the message Qrow sent him in interest. It was nice to finally have a detailed report of Naruto's fighting style and abilities. Those descriptions he had before this were vague at best.

According to Qrow, Naruto was a short range fighter who was able to move at high speeds and tank a moderate amount of damage. It was slightly worrying to hear that his aura did not shield him from damage as much as it should, but he supposed that Naruto was doing enough despite the disadvantage.

A smile quirked his lips as he read another detail Qrow provided. _'So the two of them are already friends…That is nice to know…'_ Beep! His attention was drawn to his computer when an alert went off. _'A message? And from an unfamiliar sender?'_ Ozpin opened the message and smiled for a moment before his face returned to the usual apathetic look when he saw it was from Naruto. He had been looking forward to getting his answer to the invitation. Ozpin spent the next minute to look overt the message.

When he was done, he stood up with his coffee and turned to the window. His eyes roamed over the academy and the sun setting in the background. He had a small smile reappear on his lips when he thought about the answer Naruto gave him.

' _Interesting.'_

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

Naruto set his scroll down with a small smile on his face. "Did you send it?" He looked up to Cinder when she spoke.

"Yeah, I sent it." Cinder nodded.

"Great. As soon as you are ready, we should get going."

Naruto grinned at her. "Alright, just give me a second!" He got up and rushed back to his room to gather the things he needed.

* * *

 _Professor Ozpin,_

 _Thank you for giving me this chance to attend Beacon. Over the last week, I have given your offer a lot of thought. It was very hard for me to come to a decision, but I eventually managed to do so._

 _I am honored that you would personally come to invite me to your academy, but I'm afraid I must decline. There are still things that I need to do that I would be unable to do if I was tied down to the academy as a student. The people I care about come before what I want._

 _I hope that there are no hard feelings,_

 _Naruto Uzumaki_

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 5!**

 **Trying** _ **so fucking hard**_ **to keep Cinder's goal vague enough so it can align with canon. Eventually, I won't have a choice but to be specific, but I'm hoping they finally reveal it soon. Here's hoping!**

 **If it wasn't clear, I have only confirmed that Naruto has a single weapon. I'm leaving the possibility of a second one open in case I later to choose to. I refer to the Twin Crea Daggers in plural, so it might have caused some confusion.**

 **I tried to describe the Twin Crea Daggers from Phantasy Star Universe, but I know it is still impossible to imagine. So look it up if you want to. Mine have the modification where they can shift to become normal short swords. Here's the url. Just go to the bottom to see images. (Delete spaces and replace "dot" with ".")**

 **www dot pso-world dot com / items/psu/1/3110/twin_crea_dagger%2B/**

 **That fight was meh.**

 **I am extremely torn over whether or not I have him attend Beacon, but the original plan I had in mind has him not attend, so here we are. Also, at some time in the future, I may use this chapter as a divergence point where I start another story where Naruto _does_ accept the invitation.**

 ***Adding this note after I read the first few responses for this chapter: People! Have a little faith! I _totally_ have some form of plot in mind for Naruto declining the Beacon invitation.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	6. Chapter 6

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 6! Happy New Year!**

 **Long-ass AN, bear with me!**

 **It's our one-month anniversary! Our current story statistics are: 357 Favorites! 440 Follows! 6 Communities! 209 Reviews! And 21,957 Views! Thanks for reviewing/favoring/following/and reading! It shocks me how fast we got to 440 follows. In a single month, this story got to a point that took Twilight Key the majority of five to do. That's awesome! I guess it's the popularity of the crossover categories or something…**

 **I'm not a sponsor, so I have to wait for Sunday to come by so I can see the new episode, but the "Coming Up Next" for this one makes me nervous. Any episode with backstory is a chance for everything I have to get derailed. I haven't put much yet, but it can still throw a wrench into a lot of things I have planned. But at the same time, it is a chance for me to get more information I can work with…**

 **I'm a little worried about the upcoming update cycle for this and Twilight Key. My college goes back to school this coming up Monday, so I will be a lot busier when it does. I also work on campus, so my job will be starting back up as well. I was able to do both stories at the same time over winter break, but I know it will become a lot more difficult to do that starting Monday.**

 **Some of you need to have a little faith! Do you really think I would have him not attend Beacon if I had nothing in mind? I just feel like 8.5 out of 10 people have him attend, so I want to do the less common option.**

 **You people are so boring! The moment that the last chapter went up, there was a rush of people voting for Cinder and now she is in the lead with 52 (Screw the age difference, I guess?). Ruby is now in second with 46 and Neo is in third with 28. I added some options to the poll that I didn't think of at first. The three new options are Penny, Raven, and Winter. "(?)" Means I would have trouble pulling it off.**

 **Heads up, I re-enabled my account's ability to send and receive PMs because I was having some trouble reading some reviews. This story looks to be fine, but Twilight Key had some trouble. If you send a review in a PM, I will respond to it in the next chapter. But please wait a while for your review to show up before assuming that it didn't work and sending a PM.**

* * *

 **Maelstrom of the Nine: You would normally be correct, but I'm going to try to do my own ideas.**

 **2blu: In order of your questions: I would like them to, yes. I don't want to answer that one. Probably not the entire team before canon starts. His personality is still something I'm contemplating. And a tentative yes for the pairing.**

 **Lightningblade49: Ooohhhhhh…I get what you mean. And I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind, but nothing concerning that is planned as of yet.**

 **Guest: Totally on purpose! I'm glad someone pointed that out!**

 **Archangel Igneel: Thanks! I like the weapons I picked out. A lightsaber sound is totally what I had in mind for a second while I wrote that chapter! And I was absolutely aiming to fake people out. :P**

 **cra0007: I know, right?! That sucks! To this day I still start up my Wii once in a while and play episode 1 or 2! (I don't like to talk about episode 3) Universe is another great one on my 360. I can't believe PSO 2 is only in Japan.**

 **TheDisturberd01: …Fine. I gave it a shot this chapter. It felt** _ **really**_ **weird, but I'll get over it. I still have it one or two times, but I cut down on it.**

 **EmeraldRaidenKyo: But if it was, it would be a great one…**

 **zero-vongola: I knew people would get that!**

 **PureBlank: Looking back, that might not have been the best choice of words…Oh well. And thanks for the weapon type suggestion! I've been browsing through different places to try and find a weapon, but I haven't found anything I really like yet.**

 **Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: :P**

 **Havic101: I'm leaning towards a pairing, yeah, but it isn't my main concern right now.**

 **Guest: I don't have any** _ **concrete**_ **plans for Naruto to gain aura, although it is something I have thought about.**

 **Kaioo: Keep your logic out of my fun! But really, I thought I heard that somewhere, but I was unable to find any confirmation in time on the wiki, I've read other stories that don't have one, and I didn't want to skim through the episodes. It wasn't until the next day that I read mention of a wall in the details of Mountain Glenn. Think of it** **as a park on the edge of the city that has one of the few openings in the wall that leads to the outside. Half assed, I know, but it's all I've really got.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

Naruto released a wide yawn as he and Cinder rode in the back of the car on the way to the warehouse. "I told you not to stay out too long." A small grin formed on his face when he heard Cinder's soft rebuke.

"I couldn't help it. The mission ran longer than I expected it to."

"Yes, the sounds of fighting reported in the vicinity of Mountain Glenn told me that much…" She didn't even bother looking up from her book to respond. "You shouldn't have attracted the attention of so many Grimm."

Naruto's smile grew slightly sheepish. "I didn't know that there were that many Grimm around there…"

"That's because you didn't bother reading up on the location beforehand." This time, a blush was formed as a result of her words. Knowing that she was right and that there was nothing he could do to argue, Naruto opted to turn away in silence. "…Well regardless, the mission was a success." She finally looked up from her book when they pulled up in front of the warehouse. "The others should already be here, so let's get going." Naruto nodded and followed her into the warehouse.

Emerald and Mercury were already sitting at the table and waiting for them in the same seats as last time, but Mercury looked to be asleep because his head was resting in his arms on the table. Just like the previous time, Emerald looked over to them when they approached and smiled. "Hi Cinder, hey Naruto."

While Cinder just nodded in return with a small smile, Naruto grinned back. "Hey, Emerald." When he got closer, he gestured to Mercury. "See, Cinder? I'm not the only one who is tired." Emerald grinned at him until her expression turned into one of amusement as she turned to the sleeping teen at the table.

"Yeah, Merc was apparently up late last night working on his boots." Emerald shook her head. "I can understand that, but you don't see me acting dead to the world after working on my weapons."

"That's because I put extra care in making sure my boots work perfectly." The others turned to the teen who they had previously thought was asleep as he lifted his head up. "There's a lot that could go wrong, so I tend to do my best to prevent that." Mercury finished before yawning widely with a stretch of his arms. When he finished, he blearily looked around. "Are we about to start?" He asked.

Cinder nodded and took her seat. "In a moment, yes. We are just waiting on Roman and Neopolitan." At the mention of the second name, Naruto warily looked around and slowly walked over to his seat. This strange behavior did not go unnoticed by the others. "Problem, Naruto?" Although she had a feeling as to what he was going to say, Cinder asked anyways.

With another quick glance, Naruto took another step towards his seat. "Just making sure I'm not caught off guard like last time…" Naruto wasn't even sure that he would be able to _see_ Neo while she was hiding, but he would try to regardless. When he finally made it all the way to his seat. Naruto lowered himself onto his seat for all of half a second, only for to leap back up to his feet with a surprised shout, which in turn surprised the others.

Whirling around he pointed at the chair. "That isn't funny!" The air above his seat cracked before shattering. Sitting in his chair with her legs crossed and a mischievous glint in her eyes was Neo. Her umbrella was in her hand and resting over her shoulder. Like always, she was completely silent, but it was still extremely obvious that she was laughing at him on the inside. "Get out of my seat!"

Neo's response was to simply stick her tongue out at him and remain where she was. Naruto scowled at her and turned to walk over to another empty spot at the table. Seeing that he was moving to another seat, Neo quickly got to her feet, performed a flip over the table that would make a seasoned gymnast jealous, and landed gracefully in the seat he was walking towards. Seeing the display made Naruto freeze in place due to his surprise, but his scowl soon deepened, although you can still see the amusement in his eyes.

Turning to Cinder, he gestured to the grinning woman. "Is this going to become a normal thing?" Cinder, Mercury and Emerald had all spent the last few moments watching in silence as if they were being entertained by some performance, but once she heard the question, Cinder decided to end it.

"Neo, please stop teasing Naruto. Just because he is the youngest does not mean you can drive him crazy." Instead of looking apologetic in the least, Neo smiled at Naruto before getting up and walking over to the seat she was in last time. Despite being the victim of Neo's fun, Naruto still had a grin on his face as she walked away.

As a prankster, he could appreciate a joke.

Now that his seat was finally open, Naruto took the chance to sit down and wait for Cinder to start the meeting. "Oh, is it that time already? I always love seeing my favorite group of people come together like this!" The moment after he sat down, the sarcastic voice of Roman reached their ears.

They turned to see him walking over with a bored look and a cigar in his mouth. He paused when he heard something crash on the other side of the room. Roman scowled and raised a finger to them. "One moment, please." Without waiting for a response, he whirled around. "Hey! If you idiots break a _single_ shard of dust, then you will find that you suddenly have a lot more trouble breathing!" With that said, he turned back around and took his seat. "I swear, the nerve of some people…"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow and glanced back to the scurrying henchmen who were rushing to pick up all of the scattered dust. He sweat dropped when he saw a couple of them bump into each other and drop even more dust. _'Wow, they are clumsier than Konohamaru was when I met him…'_

Roman turned to Cinder. "They're cheap, but I'm having a lot of trouble making sure they don't screw everything up. We should think about finding someone else who can do the job properly." Cinder nodded while watching the henchmen with a neutral look.

"Yes, I see what you mean…We will look to other options soon…" She turned back to the people at the table. "For now, we should focus on the present mission." Roman sighed, but nodded.

"So?" Mercury propped his head on a hand with his elbow on the table. "What's the mission?" He asked.

Instead of answering right away, Cinder instead brought out a device and placed it on the table. With the press of a button, a hologram of some facility appeared above it. "The facility you see is the mission. This is a branch lab that is owned and operated by the Atlesian military and their partners, the Schnee Dust Company. While they normally keep a lot of their major projects in Atlas, they still have a few labs in this kingdom where they test and develop new technologies."

Roman hummed in thought. "Let me guess. You want to help them… _share_ these new technologies, right?"

Cinder nodded. "Yes. It isn't necessary to take anything physical, the data should suffice. This lab is connected directly to the system of the headquarters, so the target should be accessible."

"Um…What exactly is the target?" Emerald asked, but was rewarded with a shake of the head from Cinder.

"I would tell you if I knew, but I was unable to learn what exactly the name of it is. Those going in will have to simply look quickly through some schematics. I _was_ able to learn that whatever the new technology is, it is large and has some qualities similar to a robot. Apparently, it is made for combat, so it could be useful." Emerald nodded.

"And? Who will be going?"

Cinder considered the question and looked over those at the table. "I will only be sending in two of you. The first person I want to go is Emerald." Said girl perked up. "You are the best thief of the group, and while you are not stealing anything physical, I at least know your stealth is up to par."

"I won't let you down."

"The second person will be…" Her eyes slid over to Naruto, who blinked. "Naruto."

Although slightly surprised, Naruto formed a smirk and saluted. "You got it."

Cinder nodded. "This will be your first mission. Normally, I would have you sit on the sidelines for a while longer so I have the chance to test you…" She smiled. "But I'm already confident in your fighting abilities. I simply want to see if you are as good at stealth as you claim you are." Naruto nodded.

Turning back to the hologram, Cinder pressed a button on the device, making it zoom out a bit to show the area surrounding the facility. It looked to be in the middle of a forest. "The lab is a few miles out from Vale. The two of you will be entering from the south and make your way into the director's office to access his computer. You will need to move fast and stay quiet. I leave how you complete the mission up to you, but you will be leaving in a few hours from now. Mercury and Neo will be stationed nearby in case things start to go bad. Their job will be to cause some chaos and give you a chance to escape, but that is a last resort."

"What does the security look like?" Naruto asked. This kind of place was bound to be guarded around the clock.

"Based on what I can gather, there are guards stationed at every entrance and patrolling the halls. Security is even tighter near the labs themselves, so don't bother going near them. Cameras are also common, but they have multiple blind spots." Cinder said. "I also wouldn't rule out the possibility of other security measures I am unaware of."

"Just another day in the office…" Emerald muttered, making Roman smirk in amusement. "Got it. Anything else?" Cinder shook her head.

"I have told you all of the important details. Be ready to leave in two hours."

"Right."

"Understood." Seeing that they understood their mission, Cinder dismissed them to get ready before turning to Roman and asking for an update on his situation.

* * *

 **Later**

Naruto stood in his Kitsune outfit as he waited for the others to meet him. The two hours were just about up and Naruto was ready to go out and prove to them that he could pull his own weight and be an asset.

"Well, this is the first time I'm seeing it in person, kid. I must say, you do look intimidating…for someone who barely comes up to my chest." Naruto scowled under his mask and turned to the speaker and saw Roman leaning against a crate nearby with an amused look.

"Shut up."

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot? Does your height get to you? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll hit your growth spurt eventually." The orange haired man was completely unaffected by Naruto's glare.

"Stop being an ass, Roman." The two of them turned to see Emerald walking up to them. She was wearing a different outfit than normal that was made up of dark pants, a black top, and black gloves. As she neared, she gave Roman a completely unimpressed look. "There's no need to be annoying."

Roman shrugged. "What? It was an innocent question." He turned away and started walking deeper into the warehouse. "Whatever. Have fun you two! Try not to get arrested, that will just mean I will be told to bust you out…" As he walked away, Cinder, Mercury and Neo joined them.

"Are the two of you ready?" Cinder got two nods in answer. "Good." She turned and led them towards a nearby bullhead. "They will notice anything that gets within a certain distance, so you will take a bullhead and land just outside their radar before making the rest of the way on foot. I want to get there as soon as possible, so we are leaving now."

* * *

 **One Bullhead Ride Later**

The bullhead landed in a small clearing in a forest outside of the city. Once they had stopped moving, Naruto and Emerald turned to Cinder. "Keep in touch and try to be quick." With that, the back of the bullhead opened and they got out. As soon as their feet hit the ground, Naruto and Emerald got into a light jog

Naruto turned his head to glance at Emerald, the designated leader of the team of two. "So, how are we doing this?" He asked.

"According to Cinder's intel, we should be able to get in fairly easily. This is one of the more less secure facilities, so it should be a simpler task than breaking into one of the other ones. I want to wait until we get a visual on the place until we make a solid plan." Naruto nodded.

"Should we be careful of Grimm?" He asked.

"No, this area is fine. The personnel at the lab make sure to keep this entire area clear of Grimm." Well, that was a relief.

The two of them spent the next few minutes in silence as they neared the lab. The only sounds to be heard was the slight crunches their feet made on the ground and the normal nightlife of the forest. Eventually, the silence was broken by Naruto. "I think we are getting close…I can make out some lights up ahead."

Emerald squinted her eyes in an attempt to spot what he was talking about. After a moment, she nodded. "Yeah…I see it." They reached the end of the tree line and crouched. Emerald raised a hand to the small communication device she had in her ear. Naruto was wearing an identical one. "Cinder, we have a visual on the lab."

The lab looked exactly like it did in the hologram. It was in the center of a large clearing in the forest with guards patrolling the area. Although most of the facility was dark, there were still some places in it that had the lights turned on.

" _Right. Be sure to proceed with caution."_ Cinder's voice filtered back to them through their earpieces.

"Understood." Emerald quickly looked around in an attempt to find a way in.

"There." She stopped her search when Naruto whispered to her while pointing his finger. Following the finger, she spotted an air duct.

She shot Naruto an amused look. "How cliché." He smirked under his mask in return.

"When it works, it works. Why fix it if it isn't broken?"

Emerald grinned. "True enough." She glanced around. "I don't see any cameras, do you?"

"I do, but they aren't facing that direction. There is a guard though…"

"Yeah…" The two of them watched as a guard rounded the corner. "When he turns the next corner, we make a run for it, got it?" She whispered.

Naruto nodded. "Simple enough…How do we get the grate open?" She smirked.

"Leave that to me."

* * *

"I can't believe you did that!" Naruto whispered while following Emerald through the air ducts.

"Hey! It worked, didn't it?" She turned a corner.

"You just shot the thing!" How was that staying quiet? Naruto loved flashy and noticeable stunts even more than the next guy, but he thought they were told to not draw attention!

"My guns have a silencer attachment." Emerald explained. "It obviously works well enough because the sound of my shots didn't attract any attention did it?" She looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "Admit it, you loved the fact that I just shot it."

"…Yeah…" It was a plan he could get behind. But what if the sound of the bullet impacting the metal attracted the guards?

"See! There's no problem." She turned back. "Anyways, I think our exit is just ahead…" They came to another grate. "Do you have an idea, or am I going to shoot this one too?"

"…Go ahead…"

"Good!" She turned back to the grate and pulled out one of her guns and aimed it at the corner of the grate. One quick shot to each of the corners was all it took for her to gain entry. Once the grate was detached, she gently placed it on the floor so it wouldn't make any noise before crawling out of the air duct.

As he got up and took a look around, Naruto commented on the situation. "You know, for a secured facility…that was surprisingly easy…" The place they had crawled into appeared to be a restroom.

"Yeah it was…Oh well, I'm not complaining." Emerald lifted a hand to her earpiece. "Cinder, we are in the building. Now proceeding to the director's office."

" _Be sure to watch out for security."_

"Right." Emerald glanced to Naruto. "I would guess we are somewhere on the first floor, so we just need to go up one more floor to reach the director's office." Naruto nodded. Emerald was sure to take a careful glance outside of the room before they made their way out.

It only took them a few seconds to notice that there were a lot more cameras on the inside of the building than the outside. Because of this, it took them a lot longer to work their way through the halls and to the stairs. It didn't help that they were also forced to move out of the way whenever they heard a guard come by.

Although he was perfectly fine with the stealth, a small part of Naruto wished that they could just force their way through the security and get what they want. It wasn't like they would have to kill anyone, so Naruto was perfectly fine with that. By the time they finally made it to the area with the director's office, Naruto felt like they had been in that building for hours.

"There it is…" Emerald whispered. At the end of the hallway was a door. What was outside the door made her curse faintly. "They have a pair of guards just stationed there…" She turned to Naruto. "This is supposed to be a test for you as much as it is a mission. Any ideas?" She asked.

Naruto quickly went over the layout of the hall and the position of the guards. He and Emerald were crouched around the corner of a hallway that was split into a t-shape. The office door was at the end of the part that broke off while the guards were on either side of the door. "Just one…But we will have to hurry in case things get a little loud…"

"What is it?"

"This." Naruto crouched in preparation and sprinted to the other side of the hallway. The sudden and unexpected movement surprised the guards, but before they could get a good look at Naruto, he disappeared out of sight. The moment he was out of view, Naruto jumped to the ceiling and stuck to it with chakra. The sight of Naruto crouching on the ceiling and defying gravity made Emerald's mouth go slack, but she was able to keep her surprise silent. Looking back to her, a sense of satisfaction rushed through Naruto when he saw her surprise.

"Did you see that?" One of the guards asked.

The other nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't get a good look at it…It was moving too fast. Wait here, I'm going to check it out."

"Right." The guard that volunteered readied his gun and slowly crept to the other end of the hallway. Knowing that he was coming, Emerald ducked behind a nearby pillar to hide. Once he reached the corner, the guard jumped and pointed his gun down the hallway. "Nothing?" He muttered.

"See anything?"

"No, nothing." The guard walked a few steps down the hall, completely leaving the sight of the other. "I don't see anything here…" He continued. Without knowing it, the guard walked directly under Naruto.

The blond smirked under his mask. Before the guard could say anything else, Naruto leapt off the ceiling and landed behind the guard. "Wha-?" One quick back end of a kunai to his temple sent the guard collapsing to the ground.

Hearing something impact the ground sent the other guard on high alert. "Murphy?" He called, but was met with silence. Naruto took this chance to drag the guard at his feet behind a pillar and hide. "Murphy, what happened?" Still no response. The still conscious guard tightened the grip on his gun and proceeded to cautiously step towards the corner. "Come on, Murph, this isn't funny."

He soon reached the corner and took a deep breath. After he prepared himself, he leapt out into the hallway with his gun at the ready, just as the other guard had done. "Murphy? Where are you?" He called. "…I got a bad feeling about this." He began to reach for the radio on his belt, but never reached it after Emerald silently walked up behind him and delivered a sharp blow to the back of his neck. "Guh…" The guard collapsed.

Now that the other guard was out of the way, Naruto came out of hiding and looked between the unconscious guards. "Well, that worked out well." He said, but was met with silence. He turned his head to give Emerald a confused look, but was surprised to see her staring at him. "What?"

"You stuck to the ceiling like it was no big deal! You gotta tell me how you did that!" She hissed quietly, but shook her head before Naruto could answer. "No, never mind. We have to finish the mission. I can ask about that later." She turned back to the hall with the office and walked up to the door. "We need a key card…Check the guards, one of them may have one."

With a nod, Naruto quickly searched the closest guard. After a minute of searching, he found what he was looking for in the breast pocket of his vest. "Got it." He walked over to Emerald and handed it to her. She swiped the card through the lock on the door. The red light turned green and the sound of unlocking was heard. She grinned at him. "We're in."

Pushing the door open and walking in, it only took them a moment to spot the computer on the desk in the room. "There you are…" Emerald muttered to herself. Not wasting another moment, she walked up to the computer and sat down in the chair. "We are in the director's office and have reached the computer."

" _Good. Just insert the data chip I gave you and it will unlock the computer for you."_

Hearing that, Emerald reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device the size of a flash drive. The moment she inserted it into a port on the computer, the screen lit up and a password was requested. Without her having to do anything, a password started to fill itself out before the computer accepted it and welcomed her. "I'm in."

" _It would be best to hurry. Start looking for the target."_

"Right." Because of the data chip inserted, Emerald had full access to anything and everything on the computer. It didn't take her long to find all of the documents on the lab experiments and new discoveries, but she ignored it all in order to look for one specific schematic. "Where are you…" After a minute of searching, she smirked. "There we go." Clicking on a file, a blueprint of some sort of machine appeared on the screen.

Naruto, who had been keeping an eye on the door, leaned over her shoulder to get a better look. "What is _that_?"

"No clue, but I'm pretty sure it's what we came here for." She copied any and all files concerning the schematic onto the data chip. When it was done, she pulled it out and pocketed it. "We have what we came for."

" _Excellent work. Make your way out of the facility before you are noticed."_

"Understood." Emerald smirked to Naruto. "You up for one more round of sneaking?" The challenge made him smirk back.

"Try not to get us caught." They left the room.

Neither Emerald nor Naruto ever noticed the red light softly glowing on the underside of the desk.

* * *

 **Later**

"Very nice job, you two." Cinder praised. They had managed to get out of the facility without raising any alarms before meeting up with the others and getting to the bullhead. After that, it was one bullhead ride back to the warehouse. Cinder had the device with the data in her hand. "You managed to get the target without causing a scene."

Emerald grinned at her words. "It was nothing. It actually went a lot smoother than I would have expected for something like this." She glanced to the device. "But I'm really curious as to _what_ exactly we just stole. I got a quick look at it in the office, but I was more in a hurry to get out of there…"

"I think we can all agree that we're curious." Roman said from his spot. "Why exactly did you have them break into a place like that?"

Cinder smirked. "I did it…" She placed the hologram device onto the table and placed the data chip into it. "For this." The space above the table was occupied with the hologram of some large robot.

Roman instantly sat up straighter to get a better look. "Is that…"

"The schematics for a the new Atlesian Paladin-290?" Cinder's smirk was growing by the second. "Yes, it is."

"That's…" The grin forming on his face gave Roman's glee away.

"I knew they had something new there, but I never imagined it would be _this_ …" Cinder mused before turning to Naruto and Emerald. "Well done." The two of them grinned.

"Yeah, nice one kids!" Roman said. "So tell me, does this mean I am getting a new toy?"

"I wouldn't put it like that, but yes." Cinder allowed. Turning to Emerald, she spoke up. "You obviously managed to complete the objective, but how simple was it?"

Emerald thought about the question. "Like I said, it was simpler than I thought it would be…There was a moment where I was worried that things would go bad, but Naruto took care of it." Her eyes widened. "Oh yeah!" She quickly looked to the boy next to her. "So how did you do that ceiling thing? It was awesome!" Her question confused the others somewhat.

"Ceiling thing?" Mercury muttered.

Instead of answering verbally, Naruto smirked and walked over to the nearby wall. Without even pausing or hesitating, he channeled chakra to his feet and began to walk up the wall. After he reached the point that he was high above them, he tilted his head so he could get a look at their expressions.

He took great pleasure in their shocked looks. Although Cinder's only reaction was a slight widening of her eyes.

"What the hell…" Roman said softly.

Once they had gotten a good look, Naruto stopped channeling chakra and turned his body so he could land on his feet. "She meant that." He said with a smirk while walking back to his seat. Once he was seated, he looked between all of the looks he was getting. "What? It's like you guys have never seen someone stick to a wall before."

"That's because we haven't!" Roman said. "What is with kids nowadays being so _weird_?"

"What Roman means to say…" Cinder started. "Is that it is very unusual for people to be able to defy gravity in such a manner, unless it is from a semblance." She quirked an eyebrow. "Do you have a third semblance that allows you to do that?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Where I'm from, most people can do that. It's actually kind of basic. Water walking too."

"That's a normal thing?" Everyone ignored the quiet muttering from Roman.

An eager glint entered Cinder's eyes as she leaned forward. "Do you think you would be able to teach others how to do that?" Such an ability could be extremely useful.

Naruto frowned as he thought about it. "I…don't know…" There were obviously similarities between chakra and aura, otherwise he wouldn't be able to use the Twin Crea Daggers. But were they similar enough for people here to do that? "We can try it…But the people from where I'm from have a…slightly different aura. I'm not sure how or why, but that's actually the reason that aura reading machine malfunctioned at first back at the weapons shop."

Although she was both slightly disappointed and interested to hear that, Cinder still nodded. "I understand." She looked between him and Emerald. "So overall, no troubles?" She was met with two shakes of the head. "Good. Then you are all dismissed while I talk to Roman about or new acquisition."

* * *

 **City of Vale (One Month Later)**

"So tell me, why am I here again? And in public with you?" Naruto growled to the man next to him.

Roman smirked back to him. "We're on our way to meet an acquaintance of mine for a…business transaction." He watched in slight amusement when another person quickly got out of his way as he walked. "Why? Don't you wanna come?"

Naruto scowled and pulled on his hood again to make sure the entirety of his face was concealed. His current outfit was made up of a black, unzipped hoodie with white lining. Under this, Naruto had on a dark orange undershirt. His pants were colored black as well, but had silver-white lining. Crisscrossing around his pants were orange straps that were held together by a black belt.

A month has gone by since his first mission with the group and since then, Naruto has participated in a few more. He hasn't done anything too serious, mostly just breaking into a place or two as well as stealing some stuff, although nothing with Roman.

Just like he said, he tried to teach Emerald, Mercury and Neo how to tree walk, but was met with no results. Mercury had given up after the first day with Emerald and Neo doing the same two days later. Cinder had seemed a little disappointed with the result, but accepted it easily enough.

Snapping back to the present, Naruto glared from under his hood. "No, not really. You're a known criminal. Why would I want to be seen with you?" Following this question, he lowered his head again so people wouldn't get a good look at his face.

"Because I'm a great person to be around of course!" Roman stopped. "Anyways, we're here."

Naruto looked to the building they were standing in front of before sending Roman a skeptical look. "You brought a thirteen-year-old boy to a night club?" He wasn't able to keep the disbelief out of his tone. Even from where they were standing, they could faintly hear the music blaring.

Roman rolled his eyes and walked towards the door. "Yes, I took a thirteen-year-old boy to a night club. I'm not the best role model, remember?" The bouncer at the door saw Roman and nodded in greeting before noticing Naruto. He frowned and opened his mouth, but was cut off. "Relax, the kid is with me." The bouncer nodded and stepped aside.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder to the bouncer. "That man…" Turning to Roman, he quirked an eyebrow. "This is where you get your henchmen from?" Roman nodded.

"Yes indeed. Junior's henchmen emporium. You need the thugs? He has 'em…Although the quality leaves much to be desired." They entered the main room and greeted with the sight of flashing lights, loud music and dozens of people dancing. "Doesn't this look like fun?"

"…Sure." Naruto would much rather be out and either training or playing video games with the others.

"Tch. Stupid kid." Roman scanned the room. After a moment, he seemed to find what he was looking for. "Come on, I see Junior." He led Naruto to the other side of the room to a bar. Standing in front of the bar was a man and two girls.

The man had grey eyes, short black hair, and a black beard with a mustache. The man's choice of attire was a formal white dress shirt with a black vest over the top, a red tie, black gloves, and black dress pants. One noticeable feature of the man was that he was _extremely_ tall.

The first girl had long black hair and pale green eyes, which was highlighted by heavy cyan makeup. Her outfit was a white, strapless dress, a large white flower hairpin, a white feather scarf, white gloves, and a white bow. Completing her outfit was a white bow and long white boots with heels.

Standing next to her was another girl. This one had short black hair, identical pale green eyes, but her makeup was red. This time, the outfit was made up of a red, strapless dress with black lining, large red and white feathers above her left ear, black fur hanging off her shoulders, red gloves, a black bow, and long red boots with heels.

The man's eyes landed on Roman as he approached and a scowl formed on his face. Either completely missing the look or -most likely- ignoring it, Roman grinned widely and spread his arms in greeting. "Junior, my friend! How are you doing?"

Junior's scowl deepened. "Torchwick. What are you doing here? Your face is bad for business." His eyes moved to the still hooded Naruto. "And who let the kid in my club?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. The kid is with me." Roman said. "And how can you say that? I am business!"

"Yes, but there are other ways for you to talk to me. Ones that don't involve a known criminal walking into my establishment."

Roman shrugged. "Meh, maybe. But onto other things!" He glanced to Naruto. "You can order something if you want." Naruto just looked at him as if he was an idiot. Sure, as a shinobi he could get a drink or two in Konoha, but the same rules don't apply here.

"Do you really think I would serve alcohol to a kid?" Junior growled.

"Ignore the idiot." Naruto said. Not bothering to listen to Roman's indignant exclamation, he turned to junior with a smile. "You have any ramen?" The tall man blinked at him before shrugging.

"Yeah, but only some of the instant stuff. That good enough?"

Naruto nodded and sat at the bar. "That's fine. I'll take what I can get." Junior nodded and told the man behind the counter to get some ramen.

"You and ramen…I swear, it's gotta be some kind of fetish…" Roman muttered. "So Junior, I do believe the monthly payment is due for my use of your men?"

"Yeah…Three days ago."

"Oh…Well, at least it wasn't a week this time!" Shrugging off the look he was getting like a pro, Roman continued speaking. "And I've been meaning to speak to you…Would it be possible to renegotiate the prices?"

Junior's scowl deepened. "No, it isn't possible."

"Junior, be reasonable!" Roman said dramatically. "Don't you think that the prices for your men are a _tad_ too high?"

"No." Junior growled. "I don't think that." It was at that point that Naruto got his ramen.

Roman sighed. "Then I suppose I will have to take my business elsewhere…"

"I guess so."

"There really is no other choice, after all. I just hope that my tongue doesn't… _slip_ while walking on my way home and mention where exactly Roman Torchwick does some illegal business…"

Junior froze in place and the two girls glared. "You wouldn't…"

Roman blinked at him in surprise before grinning widely and placing a hand over his heart. "Of _course_ not, Junior! We're good friends! I would never intentionally do that to you. I'm just saying that there _is_ the possibility. I do have the bad habit of speaking out loud when I'm upset…" Naruto just watched the transaction in silence while eating his ramen.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment until Junior sighed and slumped. "…Fine, you ass. I'll knock off ten percent."

"Ah, I was thinking more along the lines of twenty…" Roman grinned.

Junior growled, but didn't deny it. "…Deal, now get out."

Roman's grin widened and he took out a wad of cash. After handing it over, he tipped his hat. "Pleasure doing business with you, Junior. I look forward to the next time." Roman turned to Naruto. "Come on, kid. We're done here."

Naruto glanced at him. "I'm still eating. Go without me." He wasn't leaving until he had his fill!

This statement was met with a shrug. "Suit yourself." Roman turned and walked away. Junior watched him leave for a moment before turning and sitting down at the bar.

"Sorry he's such an ass." Naruto said in between mouthfuls.

Junior snorted. "I already knew he was an ass…" He glanced to Naruto. "What's a kid like you doing with a guy like Roman Torchwick?"

"He's an…acquaintance, I guess." Knowing that the topic could lead to dangerous territory, Junior left it alone. The two girls soon walked away as someone walked up to the bar.

"Strawberry sunrise, no ice…Oh, and one of those little umbrellas." Naruto glanced at the owner of the voice.

Standing there was a girl with long blond hair, pale skin, and lilac eyes. She was wearing a tan vest with puffy cap sleeves black cuffs and an orange infinity scarf. Under this, she had on a low-cut crop top with a black crest that resembled a flaming heart. A brown belt with a buckle, a pouch, and had attributes of a skirt on the back, was going around her waist over black shorts. Her shoes were brown knee-high platform boots worn over orange socks of differing lengths. On both of her hands were fingerless black gloves and strange yellow bracelets.

'… _Are those her weapons?'_ Naruto wondered in his head.

Junior turned to the girl. "Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie?"

She frowned at him. "I don't see you giving him a problem." She punctuated this with a point to Naruto, who frowned slightly.

"Him?" Junior followed her finger. "He came in with a guardian, so he's fine. And he's only eating ramen." Naruto's eyes snapped to Junior at the mention of _Roman Torchwick_ being his guardian.

"Also," The girl placed a hand on her hip. "Aren't you a little _old_ to have a name like junior?"

"So you know who I am…You got a name, sweetheart?" Junior asked.

"Yes Junior, I've got several. But instead of sweetheart…" She trailed a finger down Junior's chest. "You can just call me _sir_." Before Junior could react, the girl shot her hand down to his crotch and grabbed it in a tight hold, making Junior bend over with a pained expression and Naruto wince. "People say you know everything." The girl pulled out a scroll and showed it to Junior. "Tell me where I can find her and I'll let you go."

Junior's eyes darted around in panic as he tried to find a way to get out of the crazy girl's grip. For a moment, his eyes met Naruto's but the boy quickly turned away and went back to his ramen. That girl reminded him too much of some of the females in his village. He would rather not get involved if he didn't have to.

Instead of helping Junior, Naruto attempted to block out the world and enjoy his ramen. He didn't turn back to the fight when he heard a group of people approach, not when the sound of glass shattering echoed through the room, not when people started shouting and running, not when Junior impacted the bar near him and got back up, and not even when he heard the firing of a weapon. He just enjoyed his ramen.

Soon, Naruto came down to the last bit of his meal, the broth. In Naruto's opinion, the broth was just as good as the noodles themselves. With a grin, Naruto picked up his bowl and lifted it to his lips.

And was promptly sent face first into the bar when a body impacted his back. There was dead silence as Naruto pushed himself back up and looked to his front where his ramen was spilled. He slowly turned his head to see a knocked out Junior sprawled on the floor.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Naruto turned to the owner of the voice and saw that it was the blond girl. She was giving him a sheepish grin as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You're the one who made him fly into me?" Naruto lowered his head, making it impossible to see his face.

"Yeah, um…I kind of got carried away…Hehe…"

"You…got carried away…" He repeated.

"Yep! You know how it is, you get too into a fight and don't pay attention to where you send your opponents flying. It was Junior's fault for touching my hair."

"My ramen…"

The girl blinked. "What?" She looked from the bowl on the floor to the spill on Naruto's clothes. Her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry! I ruined your outfit!" She looked at him uneasily. "You're not…mad, are you?" Who was she kidding? She would be _pissed_ if someone ruined her clothes!

It was right under her hair on the list of her things that would piss her off when ruined!

"The outfit?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, your outfit. I made you spill all of that stupid soup on it!"

"Stupid soup?! Ramen is awesome!" Naruto lifted his head, showing he had a fierce glare on his face.

"Meh…It's alright…"

Naruto faintly heard something snap in the back of his head.

"I can't believe you made me spill my ramen over your stupid hair!"

This time, it was the girl's turn to glare. "Stupid hair?! You wanna say that to my face?!"

"I'll say a lot more than that! You just come in here, grab a guy's nuts, threaten him, beat him up, beat up the guards in the club, trash the place, and then say the owner was the one at fault because he touched your hair!" The girl winced at each thing he said.

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"And to top it off, you made me spill my ramen! Your hair isn't even that pretty!" Naruto wasn't sure if it was the lighting of the room, but he swore that the girl's eyes flashed red for a moment.

"Not that pretty?!" She slid into a battle stance. "I'll have to beat you until you're ready to admit that my hair is great!"

Naruto pulled out his daggers and slid into his own battle stance. "No, I'm gonna beat you until you admit ramen is great!" He dashed at her.

Instead of moving out of the way, the girl stood her ground and waited for him to get close. The moment he was within range, she thrust a fist at him. Although he wasn't sure what to expect, Naruto still jumped to the side when he saw her start the motion of a punch. The echoing bang and bullets impacting the ground behind him told Naruto that he had made a good choice.

The girl scowled when Naruto dodged her attack and continue his attack. Before she could move out of the way, Naruto was in front of her with one of his daggers already flying at her. _'He's fast!'_ Acting on pure instinct, the girl's leg shot up and kicked away the attacking appendage. "Ow!" She was so focused on the one dagger that she never saw the second one come from the other side until it sliced at her.

' _Got her!'_ Naruto thought. He would have landed another hit, but the girl aimed a gauntlet at the floor and fired a bullet, using the recoil to accelerate her body and flip out of the way. _'Great, she fights like Ruby…'_ Was using the recoil of a weapon to move around common or something?

The girl looked down at her vest and noted the cut that his dagger made in it. This time, Naruto was _sure_ that her eyes turned red for a moment. "My clothes…" She said quietly. "You…ruined my clothes…"

Naruto glared and got back into a battle stance. "And you ruined my ramen."

She snapped her head back up to glare at Naruto. "I hope you're ready for pain!" She aimed her gauntlets behind her and fire a couple rounds to speed up her rush at Naruto. Due to this new boost, she was upon him in a second with a punch already careening at his face.

' _Move!'_ Naruto tilted his head to the side, but had to raise an arm to block when the girl sent the other fist at his chest. "Guh!" _'She is freaking strong!'_ Bad temper and freaky strength? He _knew_ she was like the girls back in Konoha!

Using more of his speed, Naruto used his free hand to slash at the girl again, but it was intercepted by a gauntlet. Cerulean eyes glared into lilac as the two of them stared at each other for a moment.

At an unspoken signal, they both flew into action at the same time. The girl was trying her best to land a hit on Naruto, but everything missed. Naruto on the other hand was having a lot of trouble landing more than glancing blows on the girl. _'It's like she is used to facing people who are faster than her…She has great a great reaction time and she's making sure to not leave any openings.'_

' _This kid is fast! Not as fast as Ruby, but still up there!'_ Her eyes tracked a dagger that was flying at her face. The girl moved a gauntlet up to block it, but she was shocked to see the hand holding the dagger suddenly start to veer down. At that trajectory, he would never reach her, so why?

Naruto smirked and switched his daggers into sword form. What was originally an attack that wouldn't have reached was now a swipe of a short sword. Yang hissed in a mixture of pain and fury when his weapon sliced down her front and made a shallow cut. Her hair soon started to glow as her eyes turned red again.

"I! Hate! You!" With newfound speed that caught Naruto completely off guard, multiple punches impacted him until one hit his face and sent him flying across the room. Before his body could even reach the other side, the girl was above him with another punch flying down on him.

"Gah!" This punch had enough force behind it to shatter the glass floor.

The girl landed next to him with her appearance turning back to normal. She panted for a moment before standing up straight with a light glare on her face. "You don't mess with a girl's clothes." She said quietly. "You're cute for a kid, but not cute enough to get away with it." She turned away and started to walk towards the exit.

She never saw the kick to her back coming.

The kick had enough strength behind it to send the girl into the wall. Pulling herself from the wall and turning around, she was shocked to see a glaring Naruto standing there.

"That freaking _hurt_ …" He said quietly. There was blood trailing down the side of his face, but he didn't bother wiping it away. "We aren't finished yet." Naruto began pumping chakra to his legs. "Not until you apologize for spilling my ramen!" He rushed at her.

"Wha-" The girl was cut off by the leg that embedded itself in her gut. Not relenting for a second, Naruto immediately followed up with a slash at her side. Like every other time he tried cutting someone who was trained to use their aura, he was unable to make too deep of a cut, but that didn't matter. It wasn't like he wanted to seriously hurt her.

The girl growled and shot a gauntlet up. A smirk formed on her face when it impacted his gut, but it fell when all she got out of it was a grunt. "Tough one, aren't you…" She didn't wait for an answer, instead choosing to continue attacking.

Naruto dodged the next punch and countered with a slice. The girl flipped up and over him while thrusting her gauntlets at him to shoot. The shells hit nothing but the floor when Naruto jumped to the side. Right when she landed, the girl jumped at him again with another punch. Naruto bent out of the way of the punch and sent a kick at her, but was blocked by her arm.

Wanting to end this as soon as possible, the girl quickly moved to grapple his leg. The moment she had a grip she began to throw Naruto across the room. She was completely surprised when Naruto didn't even act startled by the move. _'Like I would be caught off guard by a move I myself use…'_ The moment she released him, Naruto re-oriented himself so he could land on his feet. With another pump of chakra, he was rushing back at the girl, who had yet to move back into a battle stance.

Naruto used the chance to land a few more slashes on her. All of the attacks that were landing on her was bringing the girl's temper back up to the surface. Every time Naruto dodged an attack or another cut was made on her clothes, her hair would glow brighter _._ It didn't help that Naruto was still able to dodge most of her attacks. "Stay! Still!" She reared a fist back and put all of her strength behind it.

"Whoa!" Naruto was barely able to move out of the way of that last attack and get behind her. He watched in slight shock when the fist hit the ground with enough force to create tremors. Although slightly scared to get within reach of the girl, Naruto saw an opportunity. _'She's open!'_ Naruto lunged at the exposed back of the girl and slashed at her.

The girl seemed to detect his approach because she rolled to the side at the last moment and sprang back to her feet in a battle stance. She was about to rush in again, but she froze when she spotted something on the ground where she was.

A small lock of golden hair.

Both the girl and Naruto stared at the hair on the ground in silence. After a moment, the girl lowered her face as her body started to shake. Naruto eyed her warily when her hair started to glow even brighter than it already had and caught _fire._

"You…" She said quietly. "You…" She snapped her head back up, showing her red eyes. "You JERK!" She screamed. A shroud of fire flared up around her and the shockwave from her shout hit Naruto in the face. "DIE!" She lunged at Naruto, who scrambled to get back into a battle stance.

Bang!

"Yang! Naruto! Stop fighting!" Before the girl could take another step, a large red scythe impaled the floor in between them. Standing on the hilt of the scythe was a girl cloaked in red and black.

"Ruby!"

"Ruby!" Naruto and the girl, Yang, blinked in surprise before looking to one another. "You know her?" They asked together.

"Why are the two of you fighting?! Look at what you've done to the place!" Ruby yelled.

Yang's glare turned to Ruby. "This jerk ruined my clothes _and_ my hair!"

"You're the one who ruined my ramen!" Naruto shouted.

"Screw your ramen!"

"Screw your clothes and hair!"

"I'll kick your ass!"

"Bring it!"

"Stop!" Ruby yelled and glared at them. "Enough fighting! I was able to hear the noise from the street! You guys are going to be in so much trouble for this! I bet the police will get here soon!" Both blonds flinched at the reminder that trashing a place and beating people up could be considered illegal.

"Right…" Yang returned her gauntlets to bracelet form. "I don't want to be taken into custody for property damage again…"

Naruto grimaced and put his weapons away. "I would rather avoid the police…"

Ruby smiled when she saw the two of them stand down. "Good. I don't want to see my friend and sister fight!" Naruto and Yang blinked in surprise at that and glanced at the other blond in the room.

"This guy is your friend?"

"This girl is your sister?"

"Yep to both!" Ruby said cheerfully. After putting away Crescent Rose, she glanced between the two. "Yang, this is Naruto. He's even younger than I am, but he is still really strong." She gained an excited look. "And get this! He has a speed semblance too!"

Yang's mind went to how Naruto dodged most of her attacks. "Yeah, I can see that…"

Turning to Naruto, Ruby continued the introductions. "And Naruto, this is my sister, Yang. She's two years older than I am and really strong…Although she might care about her clothes and hair too much…"

Naruto thought about the points when Yang got even stronger when her clothes or hair was messed up. "I already knew that…"

Yang grinned, walked over, and offered a hand to Naruto, who watched her approach with a suspicious look. "You're Ruby's friend, so I'll let you go this time…" Naruto smiled and accepted the hand.

"And you're her sister, so I will forgive you for the ramen."

"Great! You're friends now!" Ruby cheered. It was at that point that the three of them heard a groan from near the bar. Turning to look at the source, they saw Junior starting to wake up.

"…What the hell…happened…?"

"Uh, we should go." Yang said with a nervous look. Naruto and Ruby quickly nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we should."

"Right behind you."

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

"…What happened to you?"

"I am never going to follow Roman anywhere again…Ever."

"…Right…"

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 6!**

 **Ruby is probably still my favorite pick for a pairing, but I'm having a lot of fun with Neo's character…Although, I'm not positive when it comes to what she acts like when not in a fight or working, so I can do what I want!**

 **I don't know where you live, but where I am, the ground floor is the first floor. So that's how I'm doing it. I know it isn't always like that in other places, but that's what I'm doing. Not important in any way whatsoever, but I just thought I would mention it.**

 **As far as I'm aware, they never disclosed how Roman managed to get a hold of those Paladins, so I'm gonna do what I want!**

 **Yeah, yeah, shitty descriptions, whatever. Just look up Sora's Kingdom Hearts 2 outfit and you nearly have it…Except Naruto's pants don't end part way. I also took some stuff away, but the jacket and pants design are the same.**

 **I am terrible at fights when one even one of the people use punches or kicks, so if you didn't like the fight, sorry. I dread any and all future fights with Yang or Mercury.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	7. Chapter 7

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 7!**

 **Another long AN.**

 **Called it!** **I** _ **knew**_ **that last episode would be a pain in the ass! Three times! It interfered with my plans three! Fucking! Times! And mechanical legs? I don't even know if I should be surprised or not. So you know what? I'm changing plans slightly and altering the timeline! The new timeline has Cinder recruit Emerald, Mercury, and Roman, steal half of the fall maiden's power, and** _ **then**_ **meet Naruto. The White Fang stuff hasn't happened as of now. Got it? I'm also taking out the "blow up my legs" joke in the last chapter. I swear, I just jinxed it that time…Screw that episode.**

… **But on the other hand…**

 **Called it! Again! Cinder said** _ **revolution**_ **! I can totally use that! I** _ **have**_ **been using that! Things are still salvageable. The way my mind works is that I start a story off and have it be similar to canon, but then start to deviate away from it as I continue. I can't exactly do that in a reasonable manner when I don't know the driving force of the antagonist, so I had to make a guess. And it paid off fairly well! I mean…I suppose I still don't know the driving force, but it's a start.**

 **More important things! A big thanks to TheMightyMorgoth for helping me out with ideas and stuff! He has provided me with the** _ **much needed**_ **outfit change for Kitsune! I know you probably won't want to go back to read the new description, so I will give you a link right here. (Remove spaces and replace "dot" with ".")**

 **img3 dot wikia dot nocookie dot net /_ cb20120422032758 / residentevil / images / 0 / 06 / Umbrella – vector . jpg**

 **Just take away that mask and maybe a little of the armor, and we're good! As for the new mask…But matching the dark color scheme.**

 **www dot animecharactersdatabase dot com / character dot php ? id = 73055**

 **TheMightyMogoth and I spent two days bouncing appearance ideas between each other, and this is why we finally agreed to. Thanks again! I'll be going back to make the needed changes right after this.**

* * *

 **Note added after upload: If you're going to be a little bitch, man up and review with an account. Not a guest review.**

* * *

 **Kyo no Kitsune: March ftw!**

 **2blu: I briefly tried omakes in the early chapters of Twilight Key, but never really got into them after that.**

 **garoorar: Sure, I just haven't had a need to use it yet.**

 **DarkLord98: Did they…Oh well, not anymore :P**

 **LordGhostStriker: I'll give it a shot.**

 **XenotheWise135: I know! I couldn't believe that happened!**

 **TheHokageNaruto: I want to have the same base as canon, but not the same story. Meaning I would like the backgrounds to be generally similar.**

 **TheDisturbed01: Glad you liked it. I use canon as a starting point and deviate away from it. This means that I need the starts to be the same…Like the backstory. I like doing it that way and feel this way will get less people whose only purpose seems to be yelling at me that I have some really wrong info.**

 **PredatorPuck: Screw irrational OP Naruto stories. And I doubt my ability to do a single girl for the pairing, no way in hell am I doing a harem.**

 **dracohalo117: They very well could be related. Chances are that you guys will find out around the same time I do.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

"One more time, Oz. Explain to me why I should leave this to you."

Ozpin nearly couldn't resist the temptation to close his eyes, sigh, and pinch the bridge of his nose in vexation when asked the same question for what felt like the hundredth time in the last month. "You should leave this to me because it is easier that way, James." He replied.

The face of a man, James, on Ozpin's computer frowned. Only the upper part of his torso and above could be seen, but what was visible showed a man with black hair that was silver and grey in some areas, with a silver metal strip above his right eyebrow. All that could be seen of the man's outfit was a white overcoat, red tie, and a grey undercoat.

"How is me allowing criminals to run free easier than capturing them?" James asked.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee to give himself a moment to think about how he should respond. "You wouldn't be allowing them to run free. This happened in one of your Vale facilities, but you are in Atlas. I believe that it would be easier for all of us if you simply let me take care of the situation. We are both busy men, James. I know full well just how little free time you have. Tracking criminals who are in an entirely different kingdom would be exceedingly difficult for you."

"Hm…I understand what you're saying, but President Schnee has been pressing me to hurry up and handle the situation."

"His anger is perfectly understandable, given what information was stolen." Ozpin said. "If you allow me to be the one to handle the situation, you can tell him to contact me." James was silent for a moment, but he soon voiced the real reason he continued to question Ozpin.

"Why?" When all he got was a raised eyebrow, James elaborated. "Why are you doing this? For what reason would you volunteer to take over the investigation and pursue the ones behind it?"

Ozpin sighed again. "James, we are friends and have been for a long time. I simply wish to help."

"For no further reason?" James said with obvious doubt.

"For no further reason." Ozpin confirmed. "Please, all I ask is that you trust me."

James thought over what Ozpin said. "…Very well, I will trust you on this. I just ask that you will keep me updated on any new developments."

"Of course."

"Good." James nodded. "I have a meeting in ten minutes I need to prepare for. Ironwood out."

"Goodbye, James." The two of them said their farewells and ended the call.

The moment the call was done, Ozpin's body relaxed fully into his chair with in extremely tired manner. This time, he was unable to resist the urge of visually showing how fatigued he was. After thinking over the discussion again in his head, Ozpin reached over to his computer and opened a file that was audio only.

The sound of a door opening was heard. _"There you are…"_ An unfamiliar female voice said before footsteps drew closer to the desk. _"We are in the director's office and have reached the computer."_ There was nothing but silence for a moment, but the owner of the voice still seemed to hear someone speak…Probably through some type of earpiece.

The log indicated that something was inserted into the computer at this point. The computer would have automatically hacked it and prevented it from doing whatever it wanted, but there was too much protection around whatever it was. No one would have even noticed it in the log if not for the fact that the computer kept had a log that acted as a decoy for this exact situation. While the decoy was wiped, the second one would remain intact.

" _I'm in…Right."_ The female started to look through the files on the computer at this point, apparently with a specific target in mind. _"Where are you…There we go."_ A soft click was heard when she finally found what she was looking for.

" _What is_ that? _"_ Ozpin closed his eyes at the new voice.

" _No clue, but I'm pretty sure it's what we came here for."_ The files on the computer were copied. _"We have what we came for…Understood. You up for another round of sneaking?"_ She asked in a challenging tone.

" _Try not to get us caught."_ The second voice taunted. It was here that the recording ended.

Ozpin stayed silent for a minute while he went over everything he just heard. He did not know who the girl in the recording was, or who she was talking to over the earpiece, but the second voice…

"Naruto…" He said with a sigh. It would appear that his fears had been realized and Naruto had started to go against the law beyond the negligible offenses he had already committed.

It was very fortunate that James sent him this audio file to ask if he recognized the voices, otherwise Ozpin might have not become aware of the situation until it was too late. After listening to the file, Ozpin was quick to realize that the second voice belonged to Naruto, but he didn't tell James that, instead choosing to say he didn't recognize either of them.

Did he feel a little guilty for lying to the man? Yes, he did. But Ozpin thought it was worth it if he could resolve the situation in the manner he wished.

Ozpin thought back to the tragic incident that happened in one of the parks over a month ago, causing a frown to form on his normally neutral face. The professors at the academy could easily attest to the anger that rolled off of Ozpin in waves on that day and those immediately following. Although he was practically a professional at masking his thoughts, Ozpin's feelings on the situation and the results it brought could still be detected. He was angered to the point that he nearly snapped at the council when they questioned why he allowed something like that to happen.

A total of ten bodies were found, and seven of them were _children_.

There was apparently a birthday party happening in the park at the time, making it so there was a greater amount of children in the park than usual. However, while the deaths were terrible, that wasn't the only thing that angered Ozpin. It was the fact that every single one of the deaths _could have been prevented_.

It did not take a genius to notice that each person who died was a Faunus. The White Fang in particular was very vocal about that detail. The issue was that there had been deaths despite the police arriving in a short amount of time…Even a huntress and huntsman had arrived on the scene to help fight the Grimm. This, coupled with all of the deaths being Faunus, told Ozpin that there was more corruption and hatred than he had thought there was…And it disgusted him.

' _Calm…Remain calm…'_ Ozpin reminded himself. An angered mind was an illogical one. He needed to remain calm to think about the situation.

It was only recently -which in and of itself was _another_ problem- reported that Kitsune had been spotted on the scene to help fight the Grimm. Although Naruto had already proven many times that he could handle himself well in battle, Ozpin was not sure that the thirteen-year-old had ever been exposed to the deaths of people in the past. And if he hadn't before, then he definitely has now.

To make matters even worse, Ozpin was very aware of Naruto's friendship with three of the people who had lost their lives. Naruto had played with the two children who were hosting their party at the park multiple times.

Worse still, Ozpin believed that Naruto was within mere feet of the little girl, Amy, when she was killed by the Grimm, but was unable to save her. A situation like that _never_ did any good for the mind of a person. Ozpin would not be surprised in the least if Naruto was blaming himself for her death, which could drive him to do things he otherwise would not do.

Such as killing a police officer who had multiple citations on his record for racism.

Ozpin shook his head sadly. He would dearly love to believe that Naruto was not the one who killed that officer, but knew it was in the area that Amy was killed, which meant that Naruto would have been nearby when the officer was killed. Supporting this conclusion was how the officer did not die from wounds given by a Grimm, but rather from the stab of some kind of dagger…Like a kunai.

And now Naruto was siding with people who were breaking into facilities and stealing extremely dangerous schematics. That was definitely not good. Ozpin truly feared for the boy. He was by no means naïve, you couldn't be naïve and live to see as much as he has, so Ozpin knew that there were times that words wouldn't do it. As much as he wished they could, words did not always resolve problems, but if Naruto continued as he was, then he will surely get himself into a situation that he wouldn't be able to recover from.

' _No.'_ Ozpin shook his head. If he maneuvered correctly, then he could salvage the situation and guide Naruto away from his current path. He had personally spoken with the boy and observed the type of person he is.

" _The people I care about come before what I want."_ Those were Naruto's words. He prioritizes helping the people he cares about above what he wants. There was still hope, but he needed to be careful.

Or else Naruto would fall further.

* * *

"Uh, Cinder..." A nervous Mercury began. "Not that I doubt you or anything...but are you sure that this is a good idea?" He asked, and although he didn't voice it, Naruto couldn't help but agree with them somewhat.

It was the middle of the night, and Naruto, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were currently walking through the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere on their way to a location that was provided to them. It was just the four of them in the middle of the home field of a group that could very easily turn hostile towards them.

Cinder glanced back towards the grey haired teen before looking back to where she was going. "If you do not doubt me, then why ask?"

"Maybe because four humans are about to walk into the camp of one of the most anti-human groups out there? How do we even know that this isn't a trap?"

"Hm... I suppose this very well could be a trap to get us all killed..." Mercury gave her a slightly disturbed look and scanned their surrounds again. Wasn't _that_ nice thing to hear? "...But I don't believe it is. And even if this was a trap, do you think we will be unable to handle anything that they throw at us?"

He thought about what she said for a moment until he slowly nodded his head "...Fair enough..."

"Good. Now please stay quiet, we have just about arrived."

"Stop, humans!" The words had just left her mouth when a voice shouted at them. Knowing that it was probably who they were looking for, they obeyed. Upon looking at the speaker, it was confirmed to be as they thought.

Standing to the side was a man who was wearing a black sleeveless shirt under a buttoned, white vest with a coattail, black pants, and black fingerless gloves. There weren't any discernible features of the man because he was wearing a black hood and a mask styled to look like a Grimm. In his hands was a gun that was pointed directly at them.

Movement behind them revealed a woman who was wearing an identical uniform. However, unlike the man, she had a noticeable Faunus trait in the form of a dog tail. She too had a gun in her hands that was pointed at them.

The sight of the weapons made Emerald and Mercury tense, but Cinder remained relaxed with the only visible sign of tension were her eyes narrowing, while Naruto was thankful that Cinder asked him to have clones in the area to watch their backs. Should it look like the two were going to attack, then they would be knocked out by the clones.

The male drew their attention back to him. "What are four humans doing here?" He demanded. "You're either stupid or insane to just walk into White Fang territory."

As the leader of the group, Cinder was the one to respond. "We are here to see Adam Taurus. The request of an audience with him was granted and the location along with the time was provided." The woman scoffed at that and the man snorted.

"Prove it." The woman said.

Cinder nodded. "Those who have bled. Those who cry. Those who are weak. Those without shelter. Those who have been subjugated. Those who need protection, m-"

"May find it in the form of those of the fang." The man finished. With slight reluctance, he lowered his weapon and nodded to the woman, making her do the same. "You're telling the truth..." He looked them over. "I'll lead you to Adam. You try anything…and we will kill you. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly."

"...Follow me." He turned and started walking off. Naruto, Emerald, and Mercury traded glances, but followed Cinder when she didn't hesitate to proceed. The woman took up the rear as they walked.

The six of them spent the next ten minutes walking in silence. The atmosphere was making Emerald and Mercury visibly nervous, but Cinder looked to be as calm as she was in her home. Naruto wasn't nervous because he knew that his clones were around, but he was still wary of the situation.

A faint light in the distance made Naruto narrow his eyes to get a better look. _'Their camp...?'_

This thought proved to be true when a clearing came into view. Spread throughout the clearing were tents and small groups of people, all dressed in the same uniform. Judging by the uniforms, how many of them had visible Faunus traits, and the insignias on practically everything, the location given to them was accurate.

Despite it being late at night, there were still some people walking around and talking. All that stopped when they saw four unknown people walk into the camp behind one of their comrades. Whispers soon broke out, with some of them reaching the ears of the group.

"Who are they?"

"Outsiders?"

"What are they doing here?"

"They don't look to be prisoners..."

"Hey...are those...humans?" That last one sparked a new wave, one that was slightly louder.

"I think they are."

"What are a bunch of humans doing here?"

"...We should relax...They don't look aggressive and it is obvious that they are permitted to be here..."

"No! Humans are all alike. We can't trust them." That whisper made Naruto frown.

"You can't say that. Not all humans hate the Faunus population..."

"Tch, he's right. These humans will show themselves to be the same as the others..."

The two White Fang members leading them didn't do anything to quell the whispers, instead opting to silently lead them deeper into the camp. Soon, a tent that was larger than the others came into view. Stopping in front of it, the man looked to humans. "Wait here and stay silent." He walked into the tent.

Talking could be heard from inside the tent, but it was too quiet to be heard. A minute later, the voices stopped and the man walked back out. "Adam will see you now, so go on in. My warning still stands. Try anything and die." He nodded to the woman and the two of them walked away.

With permission given, Cinder walked into the tent, the others soon doing the same. The interior of the tent gave off a militaristic feel. There was a large map of Remnant towards the rear of the tent, a table with a map of Vale that had several locations marked, and other various things you would expect to find in a temporary camp of group that was in the middle of a war.

…And perhaps they _were_ at war.

There were only a few people in the tent, but only two of them looked to be members of the White Fang that weren't just security detail. Unlike the guards in the corners, these two were standing on in front of the visitors.

The first was a tall man with a muscular build and short black hair. He wore the same pants and gloves as the other White Fang members, but he also had metal guards on his forearms. The top this man had on was somewhat similar to the typical one, but his had a collar that was sticking up and lacked the buttons. Another difference was the man's Grimm mask. His mask covered the entire face and had red streaks that went from the eyes to the bottom of the mask. But while this man was intimidating, it was the other one that seemed to be the one in charge.

This man was obviously a member of the White Fang, but he did not wear the standard uniform or anything similar. The majority of his spiky hair was red, but there was a part of it in the back that was brown. Covering his upper face was a Grimm mask that had a red, flame-like design and slits where the eyes should be. His outfit was made up of a long sleeve black trench coat with slit sleeves, a red interior, flame-like accents at the bottom, and the emblem of a white tulip covered by a red rose on the back. Completing the look were black pants, shoes, gloves, and belt which had white domino marks. Clutched in his hand was a sword with a black hilt that was held in an equally black sheath.

'… _A male version of Ruby?'_ Naruto wondered in his head. That was a lot of black and red on one person.

The male Ruby had a frown on the visible part of his face when he saw them. "That's close enough." He said. After they stopped, he continued speaking. "You wanted a meeting? Well here it is. Talk." Was the demand.

Instead of frowning at the rude attitude like Emerald did, Cinder just dipped her head slightly in a sign of respect and acknowledgement. This action surprised the grunts in the room and even made the muscular man twitch, but male Ruby only frowned more. "Good evening, Mr. Taurus." She said.

"Lose the act." Adam bit out. "Just tell me why you're here."

"…Of course." She glanced back to the other three. Knowing what she wanted, they got down onto their knees while the discussion continued. "The reason that we have sought you out is because we would like to form a…partnership."

Adam started to pace back and forth while listening to Cinder. Naruto was careful to make sure that the sword never left his line of sight. "A partnership…" Adam repeated. "In what exactly?" His doubt was clear by the tone of his voice.

"To bring change, of course." Cinder responded easily. For the second time in under a minute, several of the people in the room were surprised by her. And just like the previous time, Adam remained unconvinced.

"Is that right…" He muttered. "The four of you are humans. What type of change could you possibly want? For what reason would you resort to seeking a… _partnership_ with the White Fang, the terrorist group 'known for its hatred to all humans and their willingness to commit crimes just to make a scene?'"

Cinder smiled faintly at him. "You're a smart man, Adam. I'm sure you have already realized that we ourselves are criminals as well. Therefore, we would not mind working with other people who go against the law."

Adam was silent for a minute. "…So, let me get this straight..." He began. "You could've gone to anyone for help. You could've made a deal with a gang leader…Paid off some huntsmen that had strayed from their… _righteous path_ …"

Both Emerald and Mercury noticed when Naruto lowered his head- and therefore making his bangs cover his eyes- from his position in between them, and although she didn't see it, Cinder was also sure he had reacted to Adam's words. If there was someone in their group that held animosity towards the huntsmen that did not do their job of protecting _everybody_ , it was Naruto.

Despite noticing the change in one of the humans, Adam didn't bring it up, choosing to keep an eye on him as an alternative. "…But instead, you choose to seek an audience with me." Adam stopped pacing and turned to Cinder, who nodded.

"You're the one we need." She confirmed. "Your skill, your ability to lead those beneath you. You're an exceptionally valuable man, Adam." One of the best ways to win a person over was to appeal to their ego. "And we've put a lot of thought into-"

"Then you're clearly not thinking straight!" Adam interrupted. "If you truly understood me, you would know that coming here was a mistake. The White Fang is not an organization for hire." He made a fist. "We are a force of revolution! For too long has the Faunus population been sneered at for simply being who we are. You humans are the ones who drove us to form the White Fang as a way to protect Faunus! We would never side with the very people who spit on others for being different! For what reason should we fight and die for a _human_ cause?!"

"You sound like an idiot."

Everybody stopped cold when that quiet voice reverberated throughout the room. The guards in the room scowled and gripped their weapons tighter while the muscular man audibly growled. Mercury and Emerald adopted twin looks of nervousness and incredulousness. Adam's head snapped around to the one who had spoken.

Cinder didn't look surprised at the interruption. In fact, a small smirk ghosted across her lips.

Adam continued to stare at the disguised blond. "…What was that?" There was no mistaking the anger he felt at the words.

"I said you sound like a freaking dumbass." Heedless of the danger, Naruto still voiced his thoughts.

"You…" The grip Adam had on his sword tightened.

"A human cause? That's what you think this is about? You think that the change we want would just benefit humans?"

"Of course!" This declaration was punctuated by Adam sweeping his arm through the air. "All you humans are the same! There is no way that you would fight on the behalf of Faunus! You would just do it for yourselves!"

"I can't believe how stupid you are!" Naruto's head shot up and he glared at Adam. Those who had never seen it before were shocked to see that his eyes had turned red and his pupils were slits. Cinder took the chance to finally get a good look at his eyes, not having the chance to do so the previous time.

Naruto was shaking with anger as he stared Adam down. "All humans are the same? We would never fight on the behalf of Faunus?" He got to his feet. "That's pretty much the entire damn reason I'm here!"

Adam walked up to Naruto and sneered down at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how I've seen people I care about suffer because they weren't human. How they were killed because of it! I'm talking about how change is needed to completely eradicate the corruption and hate in the world! This is a lot bigger than just what species a person is!" His hand shot up and grabbed the front of Adam's jacket to pull him closer. This action made the tension in the room skyrocket. The grunts moved to defend Adam, but the red haired man stopped them by raising a hand, never looking away from Naruto as he did.

"If you are too blinded by your hatred to see that not all humans are the same, that some of us actually give a shit, then fine. Continue fighting a war where the rest of the world is against you." Naruto released his grip. "Me on the other hand, I'm going to actually get over myself and do things that I don't like so I can change things." He turned towards the exit. "Goodbye." Not bothering to wait for the others, Naruto walked out of the tent.

A small crowd was gathered outside the tent, but Naruto ignored them and their whispers in favor of walking out of the camp and into the forest. He was vaguely aware that the others weren't following, but he didn't care. He was angry that Adam was too stubborn to realize that working together was the best option.

' _How is someone like that in charge? It would be easier to get over himself to accomplish a common goal…And how hard is it to believe that a group of humans would even share that common goal?'_

Naruto kept walking deeper into the forest. He had left before things could escalate any further than the glaring and name calling. Knowing himself, that was probably a good idea.

"Grah!" Naruto stilled at the nearby sound of a Grimm roaring. He hadn't even considered the possibility that there were Grimm in this area. They hadn't come across any on the way here and the camp was nearby, so Naruto had come to the conclusion that the White Fang kept a tight leash on the local Grimm population. "Grah!" Apparently that belief was incorrect.

While he would have normally steered clear of the Grimm because he had no reason to look for a fight, the sounds of a gunshot coming from the same direction made him pause. He stood there for a minute, contemplating whether or not he should check it out, but the answer was provided when more gunshots were heard. With a deep sigh, Naruto turned and jumped into the trees to head towards the source of the commotion.

' _Me and my stupid need to help others…'_ What would he do if the person fighting Grimm got hurt? Or killed? People had already died when he could have prevented the deaths; He would do what he could to make sure that didn't happen again.

The sounds of fighting became clearer the more Naruto traveled, and he was soon able to distinguish that there was more than one Grimm. _'By the sound of it, I would guess that there is an entire group of them…'_ With this in mind, Naruto sped his pace up a bit. _'There!'_ A frown formed under his mask when he saw how the fight was playing out. _'Seems like I worried for nothing…'_

A few dozen feet ahead of him of him was a group of five Ursa Grimm. Scattered about the floor were the fading bodies of other Grimm. The Grimm that were currently still alive were in a circle and were all snarling and growling towards something in the middle of the circle. It didn't even take Naruto a minute to figure out what had drawn their attention.

Standing there was a girl who looked to be a few years older than Naruto. She had long, wavy black hair, and her eyes were amber in color. She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails, a white sleeveless undershirt that exposed her midriff, and white shorts that had zippers on the front of each leg. Her shorts went just far enough to meet her black stockings, which in turn led to her black low-heeled boots. Both of her arms had black ribbons on them, but only the left arm had a detached sleeve. Completing her outfit was a black scarf around her neck and a black bow on her head.

Naruto's attention was drawn to the weapon in the girl's hand when it shot at one of the Grimm, killing it instantly. He blinked in slight surprise when she then turned it into a sword to slice at another Grimm.

"Grah!" His thoughts froze when he saw that one of the Grimm had sneaked around the girl and was about to lunge at her exposed back.

"It's going to hit her!" Naruto crouched low and pumped chakra to his legs. It was a decent distance away, but if he moved now…

He stopped what he was doing, again, when the girl's eyes flicked to him. While it wasn't as if he was expecting anything like joy to be visible in her eyes, Naruto did not think that there would be no distress whatsoever. At all. Her eyes told Naruto that she was calm despite the situation, that she knew the location of every Grimm, and that had already planned out her moves in her head. The message was clear.

" _Everything is under control."_

It was because of this message that Naruto went against his instincts and didn't jump in to help her, even as the Grimm behind her finally decided to go in for the kill. Naruto watched with a great amount of apprehension as the claws of the Grimm neared her back. His heart stopped for a moment when the girl never got out of the way, but he relaxed when she faded out of existence, only to reappear behind the Grimm. The Grimm fell down the next moment, dead.

Now that Naruto was sure that he didn't just watch her die, he thought back to what he saw. After using something similar for a such a long amount of time, Naruto would recognize what she did anywhere. A hidden grin broke out on his face. "That was definitely a clone…" He said quietly. Yeah, he could make clones too, but it was still cool to see someone else with the ability here.

Deciding to just watch the show, Naruto sat down on the large branch he was on, feet dangling off the edge. With what little he saw, Naruto knew that the girl would be able to handle the last two Grimm on her own. And probably within the next few seconds.

"Grah!" One of the last two living Grimm roared and charged the girl from the right. The second one took this chance to make a charge from her left. The girl stood up from her crouch and glanced between the two. Just as before, she didn't move out of the way of danger. Because he knew what she was going to do, Naruto resolved himself to getting better look at her cloning ability.

When the Grimm simultaneously swung their claws, Naruto leaned in a bit. _'How…There!'_ At the very last moment, the girl jumped out of the air to avoid the claws, but a copy of her was left behind, standing exactly where she was. The copy took the attack and faded out of existence, but the original was in the air with her weapon back in its gun form and aiming at the Grimm.

Naruto whistled lowly when, two quick shots later, the Grimm were dead. "You make it look easy…" He commented as the girl landed on the ground with her back to him.

"…" The lack of response made him frown.

"Hello? You hear me?" He asked, but still got no response. "Hey-" Naruto's eyes widened in shock when the girl spun around and pointed her gun at him. Bang! "Shit!" He was barely able to bend back to avoid the bullet that shot directly at his head. Naruto's vision was momentarily filled with the night sky before he sprung to his feet. "Hey! What the hell was that for?!" He shouted down at her with a glare.

"…" The remained silent and continued to stare at him.

"Hello? I'm talking to you! Why the heck did you shoot at m-"

"Don't move."

Naruto cut off his sentence when he heard the quiet demand behind him. At the same time, something hard pressed into the back of his head. He would have turned his head, but he wasn't sure how strict the one pointing a gun at the back of his head was. Looking back down at the girl, a frown formed on his face when she faded out of existence.

"…When did you…Oh, when I leaned back to dodge the bullet, right? How did you know I would even be able to dodge it?"

"You are Kitsune. Your speed is well known, so I figured that you wouldn't have any trouble reacting quickly enough to lean back the moment I started to turn around and aim my gun at you. That, and I aimed a little above your head. I'm not sure if you really moved fast enough to doge it or it just went above you." Naruto sweat dropped. "Now…" She pressed harder into his head with her gun. "What are you doing here? Even with your speed, I don't think you will be able to dodge a shot from this close."

Naruto thought about his options. "How do I know you're not bluffing?"

"You don't."

"I guess I don't…" Even with the gun pressed to his head, the grin reformed on his face. "Hey, you already knew who I am, but who are you?"

The girl frowned. "I'm the one asking questions. What are you doing here?"

"Come on…I might tell you if you introduce yourself. Or how about your semblance? It's pretty cool." Her frown deepened.

"Answer the question." How could he remain so calm in a situation like this? She wasn't really going to shoot him, but he had no way of knowing that.

"Hey, I'm curious…" Naruto could practically feel her confusion and irritation growing. "You knew who I am and that I had the ability to move at high speeds. Does that mean you know about my other ability?" Her eyes widened in shock. She was about to jump back, but froze when something sharp was pushed against her back.

"'Don't move' is what you said…" Naruto began, grin still growing under his mask. Turning his head, he saw that the girl was looking at him with wide eyes. Standing behind her was a clone with a kunai in his hand. It really was a good thing that Cinder had him make clones. "Do you like it when a person plays your own trick against you? I know I hate it when someone uses a clone to get the jump on me." He stepped away from her weapon and turned to face her. She could do nothing but watch as he raised a hand and used it to push her weapon down until it was aimed at the ground. "So, now will you tell me your name? And don't think about using a clone to get out of the situation. It won't work."

She glanced back to the clone before looking at him. "…How do I know you're not bluffing?"

"Wow, that sounds familiar…" The light tinge of pink on her cheeks was all the reward he needed. "Not to be a copycat again or anything, but you don't." She glared at him. They stared at each other for a minute, but she knew that he had her beat. With a great amount of reluctance, she opened her mouth.

"…My name is-"

"I don't want to know." That interruption surprised her to the point that she was unable to think of a response.

"What?"

"I said I don't want to know your name." Naruto gestured to the clone, and it dispelled the next moment. He used his eyes to convey a smile. "At least, not like this. If you're going to tell me your name, it will be because you want to."

"Because I want to…" She repeated dubiously.

Naruto nodded. "Yep. You haven't done anything to me, so why should I threaten you like that? And to answer your question as to why I am here, it is because my group and I had a meeting with the White Fang."

"…A group of humans was granted a meeting with the White Fang?" She whispered in shock. Her eyes turned downwards in thought. That was…A huge step towards progress. If the White Fang was having peaceful meetings with humans, then maybe things weren't as lost as she had thought.

"Yeah. Surprising, right?" The scowl he had on earlier made a reappearance under his mask. "But Taurus is too much of an idiot to think rationally." Her eyes snapped back to him.

"What?"

"Taurus was too focused on the fact that we are humans to listen to what we had to say rationally. He just turned us away…I think." He shrugged at the confused look he got. "I kinda…walked out after I called him and idiot and yelled at him."

If the girl wasn't shocked with the information that humans were meeting with the White Fang, then the knowledge that this _human boy_ called Adam an idiot and yelled at him did. "…And you're still alive?"

"Apparently."

"You called him an idiot, yelled at him, and walked out. Just like that."

"Just like that."

"That…" _'Doesn't make sense.'_ Looking down in thought again, she went over what he said. She knew Adam. He would never let something like that go. _Especially_ because it came from a human. Maybe it had something to do with the topic? "What were you talking about?"

"Huh?"

She frowned at him. "What did you yell at him for? What reason? Over what?"

"…"

' _Why is he silent?'_ With confusion present in her eyes, she looked back up to Naruto. Her confusion turned to shock when she saw the red eyes with slits he had, as opposed to the blue that they were a moment ago. "…What…" Was this really a human boy? There wasn't much of him that she could see, but those eyes suggested that he wasn't human. _'…But I_ know _they were blue before…'_

"He just doesn't get it." Naruto growled and closed his eyes. The girl remained silent so he could finish speaking. "Taurus doesn't get that not all humans are alike. That there are some of us who actually give a damn about the racism…I was at that park a month ago." There was no need to clarify which park. Everyone in the White Fang had been furious about it. "…I had been there, but I was _still_ unable to save them…I will regret that for the rest of my life…" He opened his eyes back up, showing that they had returned to their usual blue. The girl was shocked to see the raw determination present in his eyes.

"It's because of that…that I will swallow my pride to change things. I know what I'm doing is wrong, but it won't stop me."

For the first time since he met her, the girl smiled. It was a small one, but Naruto could still detect all of the emotions it held. "…Thank you…" She said quietly.

"I don't know why you are thanking me. It's what should be done." Her smile grew a bit bigger.

"…Blake Belladona."

Naruto blinked. "What?" The girl rolled her eyes, but there were no real negative feelings.

"My name." She explained, making Naruto blink again before grinning under his mask.

"Oh! Nice to meet you, Blake." He hesitated. "I guess it would only be fair that I do the same…You already know I'm Kitsune…" He raised a hand towards his mask. "But my real name is…"

" _Naruto."_ He stopped when Cinder's voice came through his earpiece. _"It is time to go. Negotiations have failed."_ Great, she sounded irritated. _"Meet us back at the rendezvous point as soon as possible."_ He raised a hand to his earpiece.

"Yeah, I got it. I'll head over." He lowered his hand and sent an apologetic look to Blake. "Sorry, I gotta go. My group's leader sounds like she is in a hurry, so it would be better for me to get moving."

Blake nodded with a smile. "It was nice meeting you, Kitsune. Maybe we can do proper introductions next time."

"Maybe we can." Naruto saluted. "See ya." In a blur of speed, he was gone.

* * *

 **GRM Works (Two Days Later)**

"One more time…" Naruto said. "I…think I almost understand?"

' _Why did that sound like a question?'_ Despite thinking this, the man behind the counter had a smile on his face. "From which part would you like me to repeat?"

"Um…The beginning?"

"…Of course…Your new weapo-" He began, but paused when the door to the store opened. "One moment, please! I will assist you in a moment."

"Very well. But please try to be quick." A female voice answered. Naruto didn't bother to turn around to look at the owner of the voice when she walked closer, instead choosing to look at the instruction manual in his hands. The newcomer gasped. "That's…Are you buying this?"

"…"

"Hey, I am talking to you." The man looked between the two of them in silence. He had to admit he was curious as to how this would play out.

"…"

The girl growled. "Don't you know it's rude to ignore a person?"

"…"

"Listen to me!" A pale hand reached out and pulled the manual out of his hands.

Naruto frowned. "Hey, I was reading that!" He turned to the person who took the manual from him.

The sight that greeted him was a girl who he would guess was a few years older than him. She had long white hair pulled back into an off-center ponytail, ice blue eyes, and a pale complexion. The girl's choice of clothing was a pale blue bolero jacket with the Schnee logo on the back over a thigh-length dress of the same coloring. The inside of the bolero was colored red and the sleeves turn blue as they got closer to her wrists. Finishing off her outfit were white, heeled wedge boots that went to her mid-calf. Going over her left eye was a crooked scar.

The girl had a frown on her face as she looked at him. "I took it because you were ignoring me." Naruto caught the manual when she tossed it back to him. Crossing her arms, she let out a huff. "Are all people in Vale this rude?" She muttered.

"What was that?" Was she serious?

"Nothing." Ice blue eyes looked back to the counter. "Are you the one making this purchase?" She asked.

Naruto followed her gaze for a moment before looking back to her. "And if I am?"

"…" She looked him over. "…A little young, but I suppose you look like you can handle it…"

"Uh…Thanks?" Deciding to forget about the white haired girl so he can focus on figuring the instructions out, Naruto turned back to the man behind the counter. "Sorry, what were you saying? Can you please explain from the beginning?" The man smiled and opened his mouth, but he never got the chance to say anything.

"You are buying something like this and you don't even know how to follow the instructions?" The girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto frowned at her. "Yeah, and? I'm learning now." She looked away with a huff and Naruto's eyebrow started twitching. "What, do you think you could do it?"

She looked back to him. "Could I do it? Of course I can. Something like this is nothing." He smirked.

"Great! Then you can show me how to do it!" His words and sudden enthusiasm caught her off guard.

"W-what?"

He ignored her and turned to the man with a wide grin. "You heard her. Do you mind if we use the back?" Naruto's question posed as a great source of amusement for the man.

"Of course, that isn't a problem. Right this way, please."

"Thanks!" Naruto walked around the girl so he was behind her and started to push her towards the back door. "Come on, let's go!"

"Hey! I never said that I agreed to this!"

"You didn't have to say it. It was all in between the lines!"

"I don't even know you!"

"Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Who are you?"

"W-Weiss Schnee…Hey! I don't need to intro-"

"There, we know each other now. Let's go!"

"Wait!"

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 7!**

 **I caught myself writing "Heartless" instead of "Grimm" a couple times. I guess I have Twilight Key on my mind.**

 **That wasn't a fight between Blake and the Grimm, just a way for me to introduce her.**

 **Originally, I hadn't been planning on having Naruto meet Blake and Weiss before canon begins…But episode 7 of Volume 3 saw to** _ **that**_ **change of heart…It's also the reason that canon didn't start this chapter. So if the start of canon is what you're waiting for, blame Rooster Teeth!**

 **Here's hoping that the next episode won't screw me over…**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	8. Chapter 8

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 8!**

 **This one took a longer time than normal to get out because of a combination of things. While being a lazy ass doesn't help any, neither does me losing all the progress I had on my phone and having to start over. That also put me off writing it for a day. I** _ **guess**_ **I can look at this as a chance to make it better…? Is that a good way to look at it? I still don't like the fact I had to redo pretty much the entire thing, but yeah (?)**

 **Whoa…That last episode though…And is it just me, or did those Grimm simply waltz right up and into the city? At 8:26? I think they did…So ha! Suck it, doubters and naysayers! Those of you who questioned me when I had those Grimm just walk into the park can now stop complaining!**

 **Not sure how I feel about this chapter.**

* * *

 **PredatorPuck: Perhaps :P**

 **Monsieur La Critique: I changed the timeline. Mine has Cinder meet Emerald, Mercury, and Roman, then get half of the fall maiden's power.** _ **After**_ **that she meets Naruto. And "Grah" is me not giving too much of a crap.**

 **six samurai of dragon slayer: Pretty much, yeah. I didn't plan to add her** _ **or**_ **Blake, but then changed my mind. Blake was easy to work in, but Weiss never came up, so I just threw her in there.**

 **LL: You ask questions that only future me knows the answers to.**

 **LegionsEnd66: BUUUURRRRRNNNNNN!**

 **tdychko: Not sure if you already found the answers, but this story started slightly before RWBY canon and Naruto is 13. Perhaps she did use her semblance :P**

 **OBSERVER01: He totally is a male Ruby! I mean look at him. Black and red? That's all Ruby. And where did you get the idea that this is a year before canon? There isn't that much time.**

 **animeandgamerlover2: I can tell you that Cinder is currently winning the poll with 81 votes, followed by Ruby with 76, and then Neo with 55.**

 **Tharealzero: I didn't know that. I haven't done anything that cements if the attack has happened yet, but right now I'm planning as if it has already happened.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **A Simple Wok**

Naruto scowled at the person sitting next to him. "You're insane."

Ruby glared right back. "No, you're crazy!" Naruto scoffed.

"I don't know how you could have possibly come to that conclusion…especially given what you just told me!"

"But it's true!" Ruby insisted. "There is nothing better in the entire world!"

"Except for ramen!"

"You're wrong! Cookies are the best snack! Ramen isn't even a snack!"

"It is if you treat it as one!"

"Cookies!"

"Ramen!"

"Cookies!"

"Ramen!"

"Cookies!"

"Cookies!"

"Ramen-Hey!"

Naruto's hands raised in victory. "Ha! You admitted it!" He cheered.

Ruby's glare deepened, but it was not very effective. "You tricked me!" She claimed. "That wasn't fair!"

"Meh." Naruto was wholly unrepentant by her words. This just served to rile Ruby up more, enticing her to lean over and repeatedly hitting Naruto over the head, although she was not putting any real force behind her attack. "Hey!"

Yang simply raised an amused eyebrow from her spot and continued to eat her ramen. Jack glanced back, rolled his eyes, and turned back to what he was doing behind the counter. "You know, kid…Before you tricked her into admitting that ramen was better…you admitted that cookies were better." Naruto and Ruby froze and looked to him with wide eyes. Ruby's face was soon covered in a broad grin, but Naruto scowled when he realized it was true.

Ruby backed off and pointed at him. "He's right! You absolutely admitted cookies are better!"

"No I didn't! It was just a small joke to get you to admit ramen is better!"

"Children, please…" Yang began, gaining two irritated looks from the younger teens. She just grinned at them. "You can make kissy faces at each other later. For now, just eat your food." Naruto blushed lightly and quickly turned away while Ruby turned bright red.

"Yaaaang!" She whined.

"What?" Yang asked innocently. "You two have everything you need to make a great couple!" She grinned. "Sometimes, the things you get up to make me think you already are…"

Jack snorted, gaining their attention. Without turning back, he spoke up. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Yang faltered for a moment. "Um…Well for one, they're a guy and girl!" Naruto sighed and turned back to his ramen.

He could often tell when Yang was going to mess with him…It was something Ruby still hadn't figured out.

"No shit? I hadn't realized." Jack muttered.

"Hey!" Yang reached over, covered her sister's ears, and glared at Jack. "Watch the mouth, jerk!"

Jack glanced back to her and scoffed. "Listen, blondie…" Yang and Naruto twitched at the nickname. "You are _way_ too early to even attempt scaring me with a look. Try perfecting it over the next fifteen or twenty years before trying again…I've become immune to anything less than professional glares." Another blond woman came to mind. "Just get back to what you were saying."

After glaring at him for another moment, Yang relented and retracted her hands from her struggling sister. Her grin soon returned. "Anyways, if that isn't enough reason, then how about the fact that you can never stop talking about Naruto back at home?" Both Naruto and Ruby blushed again.

"It isn't like that!" Ruby denied. "You know it is just because dad is constantly questioning me on what I spend my time in the city doing! I'm just telling him about what we do when we hang out!"

Yang smirked and nudged her sister. "You sure that's it? I seem to recall you even talking about him to me when dad isn't around…"

"That's because you ask me what takes me so long to get home too! I tell you that I'm just with Naruto!"

"Which is because you are late getting home pretty much every day…How do I know what you're up to? You tell me you were with Naruto, but never go into what you do together."

"I'm not up to anything!" Ruby whirled around on Naruto with wide eyes. "Back me up here, Naruto!"

Naruto sighed and turned away from his ramen. "I don't know why you humor her, Ruby…But yes, Ruby and I just meet up after she gets out of school to hang out around Vale." He said.

"Hm…" Yang hummed thoughtfully. "And what do you two do?" She was curious as to what made Ruby come home tired all the time. If it wasn't her sister, she would have made a…less than appropriate joke about it.

"Train of course." Naruto supplied.

Yang just stared at him. "You…train." The both of them nodded.

"Yep. Uncle Qrow was there when Naruto and I had our first spar. He gave the both of us some advice to get better. Since then, we have been training together!" Ruby's grin returned. "Training with a friend is so much more fun than doing it by myself!"

Naruto smiled. "I was still kinda new to my daggers and there is only so much I can do by training by myself. The real way to get better is by fighting, so Ruby and I spar often."

"Okay…" Yang turned to Ruby. "So he gets better with his daggers, but what about you? You are already pretty much a pro at using Crescent Rose, so I don't think fighting him will help you much there…"

Ruby nodded. "Naruto is pretty fast." Yang withheld a scoff at that obvious statement. "Fighting him makes me fight at a faster pace than I am used to. It is a good way for me to practice my semblance."

"You're getting used to higher speeds." Yang said in realization.

"You got it." Naruto agreed. "It also helps me get faster. So in the end, I get practice using my daggers and we both get practice moving at high speeds."

"But I'm still faster!" Ruby exclaimed. Naruto scowled, but he couldn't deny it.

Yang looked between the two of them with a deadpan expression. "So all those times after school when you hurry into the city…It's to meet Naruto…Just so you can spend all your time training?"

"Yeah."

"Pretty much."

"That's it? Nothing more?"

The two younger teens glanced to each other in confusion. "What did you think was happening?" Ruby asked.

Naruto gave her an exasperated look. "Don't tell me you really thought we were dating or something?" He asked.

Yang shrugged. "Meh. If you had told me you were, I would have believed you."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're crazy." Dating wasn't exactly his priority right now.

"New it was stupid to think that." Jack said in a smug fashion. "The two of them even come here often to eat. They drive me crazy with all their pointless talk. Every single one of their conversations revolve around ramen and cookies, weapons, or the best way to train."

The older blond looked between Naruto and Ruby with an exasperated look of her own. "Wow. That's…"

"A waste of time?" Jack guessed.

"I was going to say obsessed."

"Tch." Naruto glared at her. "Whatever. Just because we want to improve doesn't mean we are obsessed."

"Yeah." Ruby nodded. "Naruto and I keep getting stronger! We're totally like…" She sprang into several karate-style poses, complete with sound effects. "We kick serious butt!"

Naruto smirked. "Exactly."

Yang watched her sister make several poses for a moment before reaching a hand out and placing it on her shoulder. When Ruby stopped and gave her a confused look, she spoke. "Ruby…Please never do that again." When Ruby frowned and opened her mouth, Yang interrupted with a shake of the head. "No…Just trust me on this." She retracted her hand.

"…Fine." Ruby immediately brightened. "But we really are strong. Uncle Qrow said so!"

"This Qrow…" Jack said, gaining their attention. "You mentioned him earlier, but I just want to make sure. Is he a rude, cocky, smug, alcoholic, ass of a huntsman?" He ignored the look Yang gave him like it wasn't even there.

"Oh! That's our uncle!" Ruby confirmed excitedly.

"How do you know our uncle?" Yang asked.

Jack smirked. "Qrow and I go way back. We've known each other for years." He glanced back to Ruby. "But what did he say? Getting some honest praise out of him can be kind of tough."

Naruto scowled. "Well, after he watched us spar, he proceeded to…review the way we fought."

The smirk grew on Jack's face. "He said you sucked." That wasn't a question.

"Pretty much." Ruby said dejectedly. "But he's always like that…"

"Yeah he is. So what did he say after that?"

Like a spring, Ruby immediately bounced back with a grin. "He said we are good enough to enter Beacon!" That response surprised Yang.

"Uncle Qrow actually said that?" She asked.

"Yeah! That proves how awesome we are!" Ruby said happily.

"Hm…I already knew the kid was good enough to get into Beacon, but it is a bit of a surprise to hear that someone else who is younger than normal is good enough…" Jack mused.

Ruby blinked at him. "How did you know Naruto was good enough?" Yang nodded in agreement.

Jack turned and quirked an eyebrow at her before turning to Naruto, who looked away. "…Don't worry about it." It wasn't his problem if Naruto hadn't told them about Ozpin's invitation to enter Beacon. "I've just seen the kid fight, is all."

"Oh…" Yang and Ruby bought into his words easily enough. A grin reformed on Yang's face. "Anyways, it would have been amazing if the two of you were attending Beacon with me!"

"I wish we were…" Ruby said sadly and sent a glare at Naruto. "I will be there in a few years, but Naruto _still_ hasn't even told me if he is signing up for Signal. He told me he hasn't decided if he wanted to go to a huntsman training school yet." Jack raised an eyebrow at that. They thought Naruto was considering going to _Signal_?

Naruto averted his eyes again. "Well…" He didn't want to tell them that while he had been invited to attend Beacon early, he had declined. "Hey Yang, when do you leave for Beacon?"

Yang rolled her eyes. She wasn't as easily fooled as Ruby; It was obvious that Naruto wanted to change the subject, but she relented regardless. "The next term starts in a week, so that's when I leave."

"Oh, that's sooner than I thought…" Naruto said quietly.

"What's this?" Yang grinned widely at him. "Are you going to be sad without me around?" She leaned around Ruby and pinched his cheek. "That's so cute! Don't you worry, Naruto! I'll be sure to visit on weekends when I have time!"

Naruto batted her hand away. "Bah! I just can't wait for you to leave! Maybe then I'll finally have some peace around here." Ruby giggled at their interaction, but yelped when she felt _her_ cheek get pinched.

"The same goes to you, Ruby! I'll be back before you know it, so don't be too sad!"

"Yaaaang!"

"Don't be shy!"

"You both are crazy…"

"You know you love us!" Jack sighed and blocked out the noise.

It was times like this that he wished he carried a flask on him at all times like Qrow.

* * *

 **Warehouse (A Few Days Later)**

"Damn it all!" Naruto glanced back from his scroll to see what the yelling was about and saw that Roman was standing in front of a pair of cowering henchmen. Scattered across the ground were numerous dust crystals. "If you imbeciles drop one more crate of dust, you _will_ be paying for it in blood!" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes, I wonder if they have some kind of bet going around on how long it takes until he cracks…" Mercury said quietly.

Emerald snorted. "No, I'm pretty sure they really are that stupid."

Naruto watched a different henchman bumped into a stack of crates and scrambled to stop it from falling over. "I think Emerald is right this time…"

Roman dropped into his chair. "Oum help me. These idiots are going to drive me insane." He lamented.

"More than you already were?"

The crime boss glared at Naruto. "Oh, ha ha. You're a real riot, kid." He sighed. "I cannot _wait_ until we are done with collecting all this dust. The sooner I can say goodbye to these idiots, the better."

Naruto frowned at that. "Exactly how much longer are you going to be at this?"

Roman considered the question. "That's…something I've been wondering." He shrugged. "I have no idea how much longer her majesty wants me to keep up the dust thefts. There isn't exactly much left for me to steal…"

"It won't be long now until you have stolen enough." The group turned their heads to see Cinder walking up to them. Sitting in her chair, she continued. "Just be patient."

"Right…Patience is something I have an excess amount of…" Roman muttered sarcastically.

"But never mind the future thefts…" Cinder leaned forward. "Can you please explain to me why the last theft ended with you coming back empty handed?"

"What do you want me to do?!" Roman asked indignantly. "It isn't my fault that there are now huntsmen staking out a bunch of the dust shops in the city! I barely got out of there!"

Cinder stared at him for a moment, making him squirm. "…Very well. I suppose it can't be helped…" She looked away. Roman deflated a bit when she stopped pining him in place with her eyes. "We will just need to have…countermeasures in place."

Roman looked at her warily. "…Like what?"

* * *

 **City of Vale (The Next Night)**

Naruto scowled from his prone position on a rooftop. "I don't like this…" He muttered. "This old man hasn't done anything." Cinder's voice responded through his earpiece.

" _I understand your reservations with the situation, but it is necessary…"_ Her tone sounded apologetic.

Sighing, Naruto responded. "Why do I need to do this? Couldn't it have been Emerald, Mercury, or even Neo?"

" _None of them have anything to wear that would prevent them from being identified…Kitsune does. While Neopolitan could disguise herself easily enough, your skills are better suited for this operation."_

"But isn't that already a problem? Wouldn't this out Kitsune as a criminal?"

"… _You are correct. Do you wish to back out?"_

He thought about it. After a minute, he sighed and shook his head. "…No, it's fine…I _really_ don't like this…But you're right. It would be best if I do it as Kitsune." The fact that Naruto wasn't directly participating mollified him somewhat.

" _That's the spirit!"_ Roman's voice chimed in. _"Stop worrying! It isn't even a guarantee that you will need to help out! You only do if some...unwanted individuals decide that they want to get involved. Now stop talking. It's show time."_

Naruto looked down to the street in front of the building he was on. Making his way down the street was Roman, flanked by several henchmen. The group was making their way to a dust shop called _From Dust Till Dawn._ Naruto watched as they entered the shop, starting the robbery.

After a few minutes, Naruto spoke into the earpiece. "You almost done in there? I really want to get out of here before someone shows up."

" _I already told you to quit worrying."_ Roman answered. _"Everything is going perfectly fine. We'll be out before you know it and without a hitch."_ Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he heard a loud crash on Roman's end.

"...You were saying?"

" _Not. A. Word."_ Came the irritated reply.

"What was that?"

" _Just a…slight inconvenience. Nothing to worry about."_

No sooner had Roman said this than a body came flying out of the window of the shop. One of the henchmen had been launched by someone inside. "Yeah…A slight inconvenience." Naruto said sarcastically.

" _Kid, this_ really _isn't the time."_

"Who is it? A huntsman?" Naruto asked.

" _If she's a huntress then they're starting even younger than I thought."_

A second body flew out of the window, but this one appeared to do so by choice. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Ruby land in the street and take out Crescent Rose. _'Oh no...'_

" _Okay…Get her."_ Roman ordered. Naruto watched as the Ruby quickly dealt with the henchmen before turning back to Roman. _"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were. Next time I'll get a bigger discount…"_ Roman muttered. He turned to Ruby. _"Well, Red, I must say that as much fun sticking around another super kid would be, I unfortunately must be on my way."_ He raised his cane and pointed it at her. _"I would be lying to say I hope we meet again, so I won't say it."_ He shot a flare at Ruby, temporarily blinding her. Taking the chance, Roman turned and ran towards a nearby building.

"That won't stop her." Naruto said. Getting up, he watched Ruby regain her eyesight.

" _Then it's a good thing_ you _are here to stop her!"_ Roman said. He had made his way to a ladder on the side of a building and was now quickly climbing it to get to the roof.

Naruto frowned. "Is that really necessary?" Roman was about to answer, but paused when Ruby dashed over to the building he was on and used the recoil of Crescent Rose to launch herself to the top.

" _Persistent...Yes, it is!"_

' _Crap…'_ With a sigh, Naruto prepared himself for what he was about to do. Why couldn't Roman handle this? Channeling chakra to his legs, he rushed towards the edge of the roof he was on. "Cinder, how long until our ride gets here?"

" _Just a few minutes. Sit tight until then."_

* * *

' _Ugh. Flares are totally unfair...'_ Ruby frowned and waited for her vision to clear after the underhanded tactic of the orange haired crook. When she finally stopped seeing spots everywhere she looked, her frown deepened. _'Where'd he go?'_ Turning, she spotted the man making his escape via ladder. _'That's lame.'_ She looked back to the shopkeeper. "You alright if I go after him?" Getting a nod in response, Ruby rushed over to the building the man climbed. A small grin appeared on her face.

Who needed ladders when you had a high caliber sniper-scythe?

Pointing her weapon at the ground, Ruby fired and used the recoil to reach the top of the building. "Hey!" She called.

The man stopped. "Persistent...Yes, it is!"

"Huh?" That last part didn't seem to be for her…Shaking off the confusion, Ruby slid into a battle stance. "You aren't going to get away. Just turn yourself in and come quietly." She demanded.

He chuckled and turned back to her. "You know…I think I've heard that before…Would you believe me if I said that you aren't the first kid who has confronted me during a robbery?"

She glared at him. "That's because you're a criminal!" The man shrugged.

"Maybe so…But we all have to make a living somehow…"

"By stealing from people?! That's wrong!" Ruby accused.

"If you say so. You have your side of the story and I have mine. Ever think about that?"

She shook her head. "I don't need to. Wrong is wrong."

"Wow. That's pretty naïve of you…" He smirked. "Everyone has a reason for the what they do. I admit, some people do things just for a quick buck, but hey, to each his own."

Ruby opened her mouth to retort, but stopped and glared harder. "You're just stalling for time…" He raised an amused eyebrow.

"Am I now?"

"Yes, you are! I'm done talking with you!" She crouched lower in preparation of a fight.

Unexpectedly, the man grinned. "You got it. I _am_ buying time. And you know what?" He made a show of checking his imaginary watch. "I think your time is just about up." His eyes flicked over to something behind her.

Silver eyes widened in surprise. Not even bothering to look behind her, Ruby aimed her weapon to the side and fired a shot. The recoil allowed her to barely dodge the attack coming from a newcomer.

Flipping around and landing on her feet, Ruby made sure to keep both of the other people on the roof within her line of sight. The orange haired man was one thing, but something about the new person seemed…off to her. She blinked in surprise when she got a good look at him. While she couldn't tell who it was because of the outfit, he definitely looked to be around her age, at most.

The boy glanced to the man before looking back to her. "Why couldn't you take care of her?" He asked.

The answer was preceded by a shrug. "This is probably more up your alley."

"Tch. And you, why interfere? This has nothing to do with you."

* * *

"This has nothing to do with you." Naruto said. _'Please, Ruby. Just leave.'_ He ignored the snort that Roman gave at his words. He knew the man was calling Naruto a hypocrite in his head.

Ruby glared. "I don't care! You shouldn't be stealing things!" She slid into a battle stance. "If no one else will, then I'll be the one to stop you!"

Naruto closed his eyes. "Fine then. I apologize in advance for what I'm going to do." He reached behind him. It was at that point that Ruby noticed the weapon on his lower back, similar to how she carried Crescent Rose. Pulling out the weapon, Naruto slid into a battle stance and decompressed it.

Ruby frowned and tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. "Oh great…" She said quietly.

In Naruto's hand was a black sword. While it wasn't exactly a rare weapon, Naruto was comfortable with it. He had initially been looking to get something else but the…pushy new friend he made in the weapons shop convinced him not to. In the end, he got something else entirely after she left. Naruto tensed. "I hope you're ready…I'll try to make this quick." He said quietly.

The two of them stared at each other for a minute. Roman was warily eyeing the two teens from a safe distance.

At an unspoken signal, they leapt forward.

Knowing that Ruby typically like to catch her opponents off guard with her speed, Naruto applied more chakra to his legs to travel at a faster speed than she was expecting. Her eyes widened in surprise before shooting to the side to dodge the downward slash aimed at the spot she was about to be in.

Not wasting a moment, Naruto pivoted on a foot and darted after her, throwing cut after swipe at her. Ruby ducked under the attacks she could dodge while Crescent Rose blocked the ones she couldn't.

Frowning at the fact that she was the one being pressed, Ruby decided to press back. She rolled under one of Naruto's attacks and jumped back to her feet with her scythe streaking down towards him. She grinned in victory when Naruto could do nothing more than watch the scythe come down on him in shock.

That grin faded into a look of horror when instead of having his aura turn into a shield to block the damage, the scythe stabbed into his torso. She stared into Naruto's stunned eyes for a moment, but was unprepared for him to disappear in a small explosion of smoke. She didn't even have a second to think about what she just saw before she a kick to her back launched her to the other side of the roof. "Ow!" Looking back, she saw Naruto standing there.

Ruby flipped around in the air and landed on her feet. She was about to rush back in, but was stopped when another strike came from behind her. This time, Ruby rolled with the momentum whirled around to see who had attacked her. Silver eyes widened in astonishment when she saw _another_ Naruto standing there.

"Wha…How?" That didn't make sense.

Both Naruto's crouched and spoke together. "I told you. I am going to make this quick." They rushed at her. Ruby ducked under the first slash sent at her, but had to jump to the side to avoid the next lunge. Crescent Rose snapped up and deflected the following attack, but Ruby could do nothing to stop the sword cutting into her back.

Gritting her teeth, Ruby fired a round at the ground and used the recoil to gain some distance. Once she landed and slid back into a battle stance, she glared at the boys. "Hey, no fair! Two on one is cheating!"

"Ha! Cheating?" Roman's laugh earned him a glare of his own. "Sorry Red, but we're the bad guys! What you call cheating is what we call fair game!"

"Ignore him…" Naruto said, gaining the ire of his companion. "And for the record, I am just using my semblance."

"Liar!" Ruby declared. "If that's your semblance, then how are you keeping up with me?!"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm just special that way, I guess." He and his clone slid back into battle stances. He _really_ wished Cinder would hurry up…Not giving Ruby a chance to speak, he directed his clone to rush in while he stayed behind.

Ruby rushed to meet the clone midway and the sounds of metal clashing against metal were soon echoing throughout the area. She was getting frustrated that she was having so much trouble against him, but she couldn't use any more of her speed in an area like this in fear of running right off the roof. Her eyes tracked the black sword and she stepped to the side to avoid being hit. Grinning at the chance, she swung Crescent Rose around to slash at him.

"You forgot about the boss."

Her eyes widened in surprise at the words, but it was too late. The crack of a gun and something impacting her shoulder were first signs that she was under attack. Using the recoil of a shot to jump to the side again, Ruby looked on with a shocked look to see that the other one was standing to the side with a black gun pointed at her. The earlier sword was nowhere in sight.

' _It's a gunblade!'_ Ruby ignored the pain burning in her shoulder and moved to the side when Naruto trained the gun on her new position.

"Remember, there are two of us." That was all the warning Ruby got before something sharp cut into her back.

Ruby's eyes screwed up in slight pain when she felt the sword make contact, but she didn't falter in swinging Crescent Rose around at the clone. The clone raised his sword and blocked the strike. Her eyes widened and she disengaged the clone and launched her body to the side, narrowly avoiding the next bullet that had been trained on her. _'I almost got hit by the same trick again…'_

The original Naruto didn't let Ruby escape his line of sight and continued to shoot at her. While he was doing this, the clone went in to capitalize on any openings it spotted. _'There…This should keep her at bay for a few minutes…'_ It was tough for Naruto to both fight Ruby off and not do any excessive damage to her. "How much longer?!" He called to Roman.

"How the heck should I know?! You know how she is! She likes to be fashionably late!"

Naruto sighed, but didn't look away from Ruby, who narrowly avoided another stab from his clone. Taking the chance when she looked away, he shot at her back and felt mixed emotions when she cried out in pain. _This_ was why he wanted her to leave.

" _Naruto, Roman. Time to go."_ Cinder's voice came through the earpiece, allowing a wave of relief to rush through Naruto. He nodded to Roman.

"That really hurts!" Naruto's eyes snapped back to Ruby just in time to see her disappear in a blur of red and reappear behind the clone. When the clone disappeared, she turned to him. She was panting somewhat, but looked ready to continue the fight. Ruby grinned at him. "I got rid of your lookalike, now the real you has to fight me!"

Naruto shook his head, gaining a confused look from her. "Sorry, but not this time." The roar of a bullhead and a spot light shining on the roof told him that Cinder had finally arrived.

Ruby glared at him. "You aren't getting away!" She made to dash at him, but stopped when a red crystal landed on the ground in front of her.

"Sorry, but this is where we say goodbye!" Naruto looked to Roman with wide eyes and saw he was standing in the hatch of the bullhead and pointing his cane at the crystal. Before Naruto could stop him, Roman shot at the crystal, resulting in an explosion.

Anger ate at the edge of Naruto's mind. This _idiot_ just shot at a fire dust crystal to take out Ruby! Naruto was about to see if she was alright, but stopped when the smoke cleared to show that someone else had appeared and blocked the blast.

It was a middle aged woman with light blond hair tied back into a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face, bright green eyes, and ovular glasses. Her outfit was made up of a white long-sleeved top, a black business skirt with buttons going down the front, dark stockings, and black boots with brown heels. Attached at the shoulders was a tattered cape that was purple on the inside and black on the outside. On the back of the cape was a brown tiara above a row of diamonds. She had a stern look on her face as she glared at Roman.

In her hand was a riding crop, which appeared to be her weapon. In front of the woman was some kind of purple glyph that was acting on a shield.

"Aw, shit…" Roman muttered. "Come on, kid! Time to go!" He called before turning and rushing to the cockpit. The bullhead started to rise into the air.

The woman glared harder at him and summoned several streaks of energy to attack the bullhead. Naruto was surprised at the attack, but got over his surprise quickly and dashed to the edge of the roof. Pumping some chakra to his legs, he jumped and landed in the still open hatch. "Whoa!" He stumbled when more of the woman's attacks hit the bullhead. Whirling around, Naruto pointed his gun at her and fired.

The blond saw him point his gun at her and acted accordingly. With another wave of her riding crop, more glyphs appeared in the air and blocked every one of the shots. Not wasting a moment, she swiped her riding crop and continued her attack.

Naruto grit his teeth and stopped firing at her, instead choosing to shoot down the purple attacks swarming the bullhead. But as much as he shot, he wasn't able to get them all because they were too spread out and it was too hard to hit one. "It would be great to get some help, you know!" He called into the bullhead.

Seeing that her attacks were getting through, the woman decided to up the firepower. With another flick of her weapon, she conjured storm clouds above the bullhead.

"What the hell…" Naruto muttered. His eyes widened in surprise and he threw himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding a spike of ice that was going to impale him. "That was close…" Heeled shoes stepped next to him, making him look up.

Cinder smiled down at him. "Having a hard time?" She asked.

Naruto smirked under his mask and shrugged from his position on the floor. "You could say I'm used to it. This isn't the first time that I have deadly ice being launched at me."

She gave him an amused look. "That sounds like a story…" Another jagged shard of ice landed next to them. "But I think I should focus on this." She turned to the hatch and began to create flames and launched them at the woman. Not unexpectedly, the woman was able to block the fire, but Cinder used the splatter made to blow up the spot where the woman was standing.

The woman back flipped out of the way and gathered the debris to make a large arrow, which is then launched at the bullhead. Not even needing to think about it, Cinder thrusts her hands forward to launch fireballs at the arrow. This destroys the arrow, but it reforms and shoots from a different angle.

Right before the arrow impacts the side of the bullhead, the entire vehicle dips to the side, allowing it to instead get a glancing blow across the top. "Nice flying!" Naruto shouted to the cockpit.

"Ha! They need to do better than that if they want to shoot me out of the sky!" Roman's attention was drawn back when the arrow split off into several pieces, each turning back to attack. "Uh…That will do it!"

Cinder frowned and quickly glanced around. Concentrating, multiple orange rings form around her. With a quick wave of her arms, the rings expanded and formed a sphere that encompassed the entire bullhead, destroying the arrows.

It was at this point that Ruby decided to get involved again. Changing her scythe into gun mode, she took aim and fired at them. Cinder's response was to raise a hand and use it to block every shot Ruby made. When a break in the shots came, Cinder waved an arm. Several blazing circles formed under the feet of Ruby and the woman.

Knowing what was about to happen, the woman waved her riding crop forward, hurling Ruby out of the way as she dodged. The very next moment, the space they were just standing in were engulfed in pillars of fire.

Cinder turned back to the cockpit. "Time to go." She said. Naruto nodded and got to his feet. As the hatch closed, he glanced back to the roof.

The moment before the hatch closed, cerulean eyes met silver eyes.

* * *

 **Warehouse (Later)**

Roman collapsed into his chair. "Well…That was less than pleasant." He said.

Naruto slumped in his chair. "'Without a hitch…'" Roman glared at him.

"Oh, shut up. How was I supposed to know that there would be a kid there that has a hero complex?"

"Please, you two. I would rather not deal with this right now." Cinder said as she sat down. "But Naruto is right, that definitely could have gone better."

Roman shrugged. "Maybe so, but we still got the dust."

"Yes…" Cinder allowed. "But we have also managed to gain even more attention from some…unwanted parties."

"I guess so."

Shaking her head with a sigh, Cinder turned to Naruto. "I wanted to ask, Naruto. Do you know that girl? You seemed…reluctant to fight her."

Naruto averted his eyes. "…Yeah, I do. She's a friend of mine."

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "A friend." She repeated. "Will this be a…problem?" If it was, then she would need to take care of it.

Shaking his head, Naruto looked back. "No, it won't be."

She looked into his eyes for a minute before slowly nodding her head. "Good. Onto other matters. Because Kitsune openly fought against the law tonight and aided in the escape of a known criminal, you will not be able to take most missions. There of course people who do not care about who takes their missions, but most people do. This also means that you cannot move around as Kitsune anymore."

Naruto sighed. "I understand…That's pretty much what I expected." He glared at Roman, who seemed surprised at the look. "That may have been avoided if _someone_ had been willing to fight."

Roman shrugged unapologetically.

* * *

 **Bullhead (Two Days Later)**

Ruby sighed as she tried to block out Yang's incessant gushing over the fact that they would be going to Beacon together. Why couldn't she just get that while it was cool that she was going to Beacon early, she was still being moved up two entire years? It was times like this that she wished Naruto had been there to help out during the robbery.

It would have been _awesome_ if they had both been sent to Beacon!

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Ruby was snapped out of her thoughts when her sister's face appeared a couple inches from her own. The younger sister jumped back with a yelp before realizing she had spaced out.

With a sheepish grin, Ruby responded. "Um…What was that?"

Yang huffed and put her hands on her hips. "You know, most people tend to _listen_ when they're in a conversation."

"Uh…Whoops?" Yang rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whoops." She was about to embarrass Ruby in retaliation, but their attention was drawn to a nearby newscast.

" _The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities."_ A mugshot of Roman appeared.

' _Roman Torchwick…'_ Ruby committed the name to memory, but the part that really interested her was what came next.

" _What is truly surprising is who aided Torchwick in his escape."_ The mugshots were replaced by pictures of Kitsune. _"The independent huntsman known as Kitsune jumped in and defended Torchwick until a bullhead arrived, which the two then used to escape."_

Ruby took in the appearance of the boy who had stopped her the other night and memorized his name. _'He's an independent huntsman? Then why would he help someone like Torchwick?'_ That went against everything she believed a huntsman should fight for!

" _This is the first time that Kitsune has ever gone against the law. Kitsune is known for his apparently young age and dual semblances, which grant him the ability to move at high speeds and create duplicates of himself. A warrant for his arrest has been posted and any information on either his or Torchwick's whereabouts can be received by the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."_

Yang whistled. "Wow, criminals start young nowadays…" She turned back to Ruby, but wasn't expecting to see a look of contemplation on her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ruby glanced back at her. "It's nothing. I just…I don't get why that Kitsune guy would side with Torchwick." Yang circled an arm around her shoulders.

"I wouldn't put too much thought into it. Sometimes, there's just no understanding what goes on in the head of some people."

"I guess…" She thought over her encounter with Kitsune again. A rush of determination filled her. _'Next time, I'll win!'_

On the other side of the bullhead, Blake frowned at the end of the report. _'He's a criminal now?'_ She wasn't sure if she should be surprised or not. The simple fact that Kitsune and his group met with the White Fang already showed less than legal tendencies. But… _'How can he stand being around someone like Roman Torchwick?'_

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

Ozpin sighed as he watched the news report. When he first heard about Ruby Rose fighting criminals, he had been interested in learning more details. The security footage provided by the store and other nearby buildings showed enough evidence for him to be able to bend the rules a bit and grant her early access to Beacon. While this was something he felt smug to get away with, his inner smirk was wiped away when he learned who _else_ had shown up that night to fight.

' _Why must things be so difficult?'_ Glynda was very adamant that Naruto should be taken in and treated like any other criminal, but watching over the footage, Ozpin saw something that told him that it still wasn't too late.

Naruto had been hesitant to fight Ruby.

Sure he had still done so, but none of the attacks that landed were in a vital spot. Naruto had been fighting to buy time, nothing more.

His attention was drawn to his computer when a message popped up on the screen. Reading the name of the sender, Ozpin resigned himself to another headache and reached for his coffee.

What did James want _now_?

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 8!**

 **Canon has officially started. Finally! I plan to start doing my own thing now.**

 **Naruto's weapon is Blazefire Saber from Final Fantasy XIII. Unoriginal? Sure. Do I give a shit? Not at all. I wanted him to have a sword this time, but also have a gun, so this was a nice compromise.**

 **Kitsune is now a known criminal!**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	9. Chapter 9

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 9!**

 **Dammit! I missed the chance for a joke and I didn't even notice until now! At the end of chapter 6, Cinder asked Naruto what happened to him. I absolutely should have instead put "Following Roman when he told me to was the worst idea ever…of all time." I love putting references to other things and I missed my chance to!**

 **Didn't realize it until I watched some episodes again, but deflecting, blocking, and dodging gunfire isn't exactly an uncommon thing in RWBY, is it?**

 **Why do people keep saying "hunter" instead of "huntsman?" Is hunter an actual term used in canon, or are people just getting confused with Hunter x Hunter?**

* * *

 **firebluebird2006: What, the gunblade? That was the entire point of getting another weapon. Now he has one to use in public and another to use as Kitsune.**

 **Phiver: Thanks for the advice, I'll bring it in a bit. And it's exactly for that reason that I wanted to have him not attend Beacon. Too many stories go that route.**

 **NeoNazo356: I have a lot of fun writing his interactions with Roman.**

 **Alpha Stigma55: Thinking about it, but I'm not really sure. I've contemplated him having a battle style and attacks from other anime/games, but I don't know if it's a good idea.**

 **SHMANDER: Sorry, but I'm lazy. I still think that a (Pretty much) weekly basis with chapters that are all at least around 7k words is** _ **way**_ **better than a lot of the other stories on this site.**

 **DJexe: I so wanted to! A big reason why I didn't was because I already felt as if I was pushing the Phantasy Star stuff by giving him weapons and an outfit from it.**

 **EmeraldRaidenKyo: Assuming you are right, why the hell would I spoil that?**

 **5-digit: Um…Thanks for the chance…? I guess? But really, I thought it was somewhat reasonable, but I can also see how some people would disagree. As for the younger age thing, I admit to not being sure if I can pull it off completely, but I'm giving it a shot.**

 **dracohalo117: The problem with that is that Pre-Shippuden Naruto didn't exactly have a wide skillset, so I'm kinda limited.**

 **Agurra of the Darkness: As long as I want him to. :P And how do you know that he knows something is up?**

 **Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Nah. If it comes down to it, I might use a time skip to speed things up a bit, but I at least want to try making one arc.**

 **Guest: That made me laugh a bit. Sorry, but unless I just can't sit still and am bursting with enthusiasm, then it isn't too likely you will be getting something sooner than 5 days later.**

 **Dark Daruin: Ah, I tried saying it last chapter, but I guess it wasn't too clear. Naruto wound up getting a different weapon than the one Weiss helped him with.**

 **TheFanfictioner623: You ask questions that lead to things that I don't want to talk about yet. As for the update schedule, I'm kind of off schedule right now. I want to eventually get it back to where this story is updated over the weekend and Twilight Key during the week, but laziness is a strong force.**

 **hellspartan177: The pairing poll is going to stay open until we get to the point that I want to start adding a pairing. Just go to my profile to vote.**

 **trninjakiller: No problem, I understand. You have no idea how grateful I am that you were able to say that in a mature manner instead of just criticizing everything I have.**

 **Guest: Thanks! Writing can be kind of fun. The only real problem is the small feeling of being obligated to keep it going when you want to be lazy.**

 **The Collection: The pairing poll is going to stay open until we get to the point that I want to start adding a pairing. Just go to my profile to vote.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Warehouse**

A small smile worked its way onto Naruto's face as he read the newest message from Ruby. It looks like she had been made into the leader of the team she was on, one that Yang was on as well. She didn't say who the other teammates were, but he hoped that they would be fine with a girl that was younger than them being the leader…of their team that was called RWBY.

Did Ozpin like bad puns or something?

"Hey, you ready?" He glanced up to see Emerald standing in front of him.

Nodding, he shot off a quick reply to Ruby before getting to his feet. "Yeah, I'm good to go." He followed her over to the spot that Roman, Mercury, and Cinder were standing. As they drew near, Naruto picked up the sound of Roman expressing his irritation at Cinder's newest plan.

"Let me get this straight…" Roman began. "You mean to tell me that after _everything_ I've been through to steal the stuff, you want to just _give it away_?" There was no mistaking the disbelief in his voice.

Cinder turned to him with a calm gaze. "Saying that I want to give it away is not how you should be looking at this. Instead, think of it as…persuading them to work with us."

"I'm pretty sure they've already expressed their disinterest!"

"Yes, they have." Cinder allowed. "But that is why we are bringing a peace offering this time. Something that will sweeten the deal."

Despite her reassurances, Roman still looked irritated and skeptical, but when he was about to say something, Naruto spoke up. "And if they still wish to have nothing to do with us?" His question caused all eyes to turn to him. "What then?" He asked.

"…" Cinder was quiet for a moment as she considered her response. "If such an outcome comes to pass, then we will have to help them reconsider." She finally said.

Her choice of words made Naruto frown minutely. "We will force them?"

"Only to get them to listen." She assured. "It is very likely that they will act in a hostile manner without even giving us the chance to speak. If that happens, then I think it is only fair that we act in kind, but only to get a chance to speak. I'm sure that they will change their attitude once they learn that we are willing to pay them."

"But still…" Naruto hesitated.

Cinder placed a hand on his shoulder with a small smile on her face. "I promise you, it will only be a last resort and we won't go any further than subduing them." She doubted that they would reconsider at all if they did any more than that.

After taking a minute to think, Naruto slowly nodded. "…Fine…" Cinder's smile grew.

"Perfect. Then is everyone fine with proceeding?" Her gaze landed on Roman.

Slumping his shoulders, Roman released a defeated sigh. "Very well, if you must." It was at that point that a loud crash echoed from the other side of the warehouse, making his eyebrow twitch. "On second thought, I'm all for it. _Anything_ to make it so I don't have to deal with these _blithering idiots_!" He turned and stormed off to locate the latest henchman to gain his ire. The sight of this made Naruto, Emerald, and Mercury smirk a bit.

It was always amusing to see Roman get worked up.

* * *

Naruto was barely able to withhold a groan at their current situation.

"You have a lot of guts to come back here." The male sentry that they came across last time said. The difference was that last time, he only had one other person with him. This time, they were surrounded by at least ten people, all with guns that were pointed at them and scowls on the visible portion of their faces.

Cinder glanced around. "Please, just as the last time, we have only come to talk.

The leader shook his head. "Not happening. Adam has made it clear that you aren't welcome here. Leave. _Now._ " He ordered.

"I'm afraid that I must insist."

"Insist all you like; it isn't going to change anything." He raised his gun, making them tense. "You won't get another warning. Leave."

As always, Cinder had a calm expression on her face, as if they weren't only a second away from being fired at. "Very well." She made eye contact with the others. The White Fang members noticed the interaction and prepared themselves.

It was over for half of them before they even knew it started.

Out of nowhere, five of their members were struck in the back of the neck and knocked out. As their bodies crumpled to the ground, the still conscious members yelled in surprise and spun their guns around at the people who had gotten the jump on them. The moment that they saw replicas of Kitsune standing over them, they knew they had made a mistake.

Emerald, Mercury, and Naruto all rushed in different directions towards the remaining members. While two of them opened fire on the clones, the other three jerked their attention back.

Naruto ducked under the bullets of the leader and delivered a said strike to his gut. Seeing that this wasn't enough, he followed up with an elbow to his temple.

The grunt that shot at Emerald stopped firing in confusion when all of his bullets phased right through her body. Before his thoughts could get any further than astonishment, the back of a gun made contact with his head, sending him to the ground.

Mercury simply jumped into the air to avoid the attack and aimed his boots at the grunt. When he had a lock, he shot white projectiles at the grunt, catching her off guard and incapacitating her.

Cinder looked around and saw that the other grunts had already been taken care of by Naruto's clones. Picking up a briefcase with each hand, she spoke up. "We need to move quickly. If we hurry, we can get to them camp before they realize that we are here." She got three nods in return and they broke out into a swift pace.

The group only came upon a few more White Fang members as they got closer to the camp, but each of them were knocked out right away. Naruto's clones were still acting as scouts and the first line of defense in the trees.

Soon, the camp came into view and with it, a much greater amount of White Fang members. The populace of the camp seemed to be surprised by the sudden intrusion, but they soon recovered and took out their weapons.

Naruto's eyes swept over the camp and counted the number of people there. _'Thirty...Not too bad, but I can't tell how many more are in the tents.'_ His thoughts were cut off when the first grunt charged him with a sword. Naruto unsheathed his gunblade and parried the attack. With the opening created, he twirled around his sword and drove the hit into the grunt's stomach. The grunt didn't even hit the ground when Naruto blurred away to get at the next one.

None of them posed any sort of significant difficulty to subdue, but the fact that they were willing to go for the kill made up for the fact because Naruto's group wasn't aiming for deaths.

Off to the side, Naruto absently noted that Emerald and Mercury were back to back while they worked together to fight. They knew each other's battle styles and personalities well enough to play off of one another and cover when needed. Cinder stood off to the side a bit, calm as always and with several grunts splayed out in a ring around her. Whenever one got close, they would find a weak fireball impacting their gut. The smarter ones with guns decided to shoot at her, but Cinder simply blocked all of the shots.

Naruto kicked the legs of another grunt out from under him and shot his free hand out to grab the back of his hood. With his balance destroyed, the grunt was unable to resist when Naruto spun in a circle and used some chakra to send him headfirst into a comrade.

Not wasting time to watch the result, Naruto leaned back to avoid the swipe of a sword and latched his hand around the offending limb's wrist. Tugging the grunt closer, Naruto drove the hilt of his sword into her stomach.

Jumping back, Naruto risked a glance around the camp. Most of the grunts were taken out by then, but there were still a few fighting back.

"What is this?!" Naruto turned his attention to a nearby tent when Adam and the muscular White Fang member ran out. Adam quickly took in the scene before turning to them with his blade raised, the man doing the same with a chainsaw.

Cinder turned to him. "We could have gone to anyone for help." She handed the briefcases to Emerald and Mercury. "But we chose you, Adam Taurus."

"You ask for help by barging in on our camp and attacking us?" Adam growled.

"It was a necessary step to make you hear us out."

"I already told you that the White Fang has no interest in subjugating ourselves to you! Much less for your _human_ cause!"

Adam's shout made Cinder shake her head. "I assure you, our plan will be beneficial for the both of us." She nodded to Emerald and Mercury. At her signal, the two of them kneeled down and opened the cases, showing their contents to Adam. One of the cases was revealed to contain a large amount of money while the other held dust crystals. "We apologize for our actions, but all I ask is for a few minutes of your time." Some of the grunts spread throughout the camp were beginning to regain consciousness.

"..." Adam eyed the cases, his interest caught. "Talk. _Now_." He ordered.

Nodding, Cinder continued. "I'm well aware that the White Fang is a large faction with many members and plans spread throughout the kingdoms. With such a widespread operation, there must be a substantial cost to maintain it." She gestured to the cases. "We are willing to fund your needs, whether it be dust, lien, or even weaponry, in return for a partnership. What you see in front of you is merely a small part of what you would receive." Murmurs swept throughout the camp.

"The thefts you enact upon various dust shipments have been earning less and less, haven't they? While I'm sure that part of the reason you do it is to strike back against the Schnee Dust company, the dust itself must also be a driving factor." Cinder said. "Agree to work with us and you won't need to limit yourselves only to operations that would reap some type of physical reward."

"...You talk of a partnership, but that would only lead to you telling us how to work. You will interfere with the very core of our operations!" Adam claimed.

"We will not change how the White Fang does things. All we want is some cooperation between our groups when needed. Perhaps some manpower or access to a certain territory. The important decisions would be left up to you. That isn't a fact we are looking to change."

"Even if what you are saying is true, that doesn't change the fact that you are asking us to fight for a human cause!"

Cinder shook her head. "I have already told you repeatedly that our plan will be beneficial for the both of us. Not only would cooperating yield desirable results, you will also be paid to do so."

Adam grit his teeth and gripped his sword tighter, obviously reluctant to relent. His agitation was heightened by the fact that everything she said was correct, from the current resources of the White Fang to how hard it is to keep up their activities. "…Fine. We will work with you. But if you do not keep up your end of the deal, I _will_ kill you."

A small smile graced Cinder's lips. "Wonderful. Now then, should we proceed to discuss things in further detail now or wou-"

"Wait." Adam's abrupt interruption irked Cinder, but she hid it well.

She raised an eyebrow in question. "Yes?"

"I will agree to this alliance between the White Fang and your group, but under one condition." Adam said.

Although slightly hesitant, Cinder eventually nodded her head. "That is reasonable."

"It better be. If you want _my_ men to go out and fight for you, then you better be willing to have _your_ men do the same."

Cinder's mouth twitch down minutely. "…I don't think-"

Adam snarled. "I don't give a damn what you think! If you aren't willing to do it, then why should we?!" His hand slowly started to move towards his blade, which in turn made Emerald and Mercury prepare themselves for a fight.

"…Very well. What did you have in mind?"

Relaxing a bit, Adam looked over the group of humans, his eyes landing on Naruto, who couldn't suppress a frown. "You. You will join in on a raid we have planned. The skills of Kitsune will prove to be a valuable asset."

Emerald quickly got to her feet and took a step forward with a glare. "H-hold on. You can't ju-"

"Shut up, human!" Emerald flinched, but held her glare. "I'm talking to him." Adam turned back to Naruto. "The last time we spoke, you claimed to be willing to do things you don't like doing. Prove it." His sneer deepened. "Or was that all talk from a brat that didn't know what he was getting into?" Everyone was silent as they waited for Naruto's response.

Cinder stepped up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm afraid that we must decline. If there isn't another way to prove our dedication then-"

"Fine." Naruto's quiet voice stopped Cinder and made her turn to him in surprise.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. If that's what it takes, then fine. I'll join you for the raid."

Adam smirked. "Good."

"What are we raiding?" Naruto asked.

Motioning for them to follow him, Adam and the muscular man turned back towards the command tent. As they walked away, the crowd slowly dispersed. Once they were all in the tent and standing around the table, Adam pointed out the schematics of a large ship.

"There is a Schnee Dust Company shipment coming in tomorrow night. According to our intel, it is carrying a decent amount of dust."

Naruto slowly nodded. "So we just go in, secure the dust, and get out?"

"Yes."

"What does security look like?" Cinder asked.

Adam picked up a piece of paper and looked it over. "Nothing much is confirmed, but we can expect to see the typical Atlesian military defense robots. Maybe a couple humans, but it will be simple enough to…get rid of them."

The way Adam said that made Naruto glare at him. "We aren't killing anyone." The White Fang commander slowly put down the paper and look at Naruto with a scowl.

"What?"

Scowling in return, Naruto didn't back down at the tone. "I said if I am doing this with you, then we _aren't killing anyone_."

Adam snarled and slammed his hands down on the table. "You think you can tell me what to do? Why should I give a shit if some humans are killed along the way? You're just saying that because they're human!"

"It isn't because they're human! It's because they are people! You don't see us going around and killing every Faunus that happens to _just be doing their job_!" Naruto yelled. "If you want my help with this, then we will do this _without_ killing people."

"And if I said no?" Adam challenged.

Naruto's glare turned glacial. "Then I'll just do the entire damn thing on my own, proving that we are willing to help your goals as well as making sure that no one is killed. Hell, if you really want to come, you can just leave all the people who are guards to me and go take care of the robotic ones." The two of them stared at each other.

"…Fine. I will leave all of the people to you. You will still fight any robotic ones that you come across, but I will not fight people. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Good. You will be working directly with me as the front of the raid. We will be moving in first before sending a signal to the others, who my lieutenant," He nodded to the muscular man. "will be leading. Any questions?"

"What about your current partner? What will they be doing?"

The temperature in the room dropped. Adam leaned forward. " _Next question._ " He growled quietly. Naruto and Cinder's eyebrows quirked in interest, but they didn't say anything.

"That was it."

"Then get out of my sight. Report to this location tomorrow night at midnight. Leave the dust and lien on the table." He pointed to a spot on the map. With that, the humans left.

Once they made some distance from the camp, Cinder turned to Naruto with a concerned look on her face. "Naruto…Are you sure you are alright with this?"

Naruto nodded. "I promise I'm fine with it. I already ensured that we won't be killing anyone, and that was my biggest concern."

"What about the fact that you're going to be playing an active role in the theft of a large amount of dust?" Mercury asked curiously.

"We're robbing the Schnee Dust Company…" He felt extremely guilty for doing this to the company that Weiss's family owned, but it was necessary. "The higher ups of the company aren't the nicest of people, so I don't feel too bad." All he had to do was focus on that.

"Right…"

"Regardless, it isn't too late to back out. We can find other options." Cinder said, Emerald nodding in agreement.

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it." Naruto couldn't help but smile at their worry for him.

"If you're sure…"

"I am."

"Then let's return to the warehouse."

* * *

 **Shipyard (The Next Night)**

Adam spun around and drew his sword when another presence suddenly landed in a crouch next to him. Recognizing who it was, put his blade away and turned back. "Hmph. You actually showed up." Naruto frowned.

"You doubted I would?"

"A human not sticking to his word wouldn't surprise me." Adam confirmed.

Naruto shook his head. "Whatever, just tell me the plan."

Adam scoffed. "You already know it. We go in, we take out the guards, we secure the dust, we get out." This simple plan made Naruto glare.

"I mean how are we getting in? Are we doing this quietly?"

"No, that's nearly impossible. We will be found out whether we want to or not." Adam denied.

"So we don't have to worry about stealth? I kind of like it." Naruto's words made Adam smirk a bit despite himself.

"That may be the first thing you've said that I actually agree with." He glanced towards the position of the moon. "Enough talk. It's time to go." Nodding, Naruto stood up with Adam. "We're moving fast!" The two of them sprinted towards the ship.

Adam and Naruto only managed to get within a few hundred feet before a spotlight shined down on them. Immediately after, alarms started blaring throughout the ship as its occupants surged to life. They soon found their way blocked when a group of guard landed in front of them. It didn't even take an entire glance to tell that they were all robots.

They were humanoid in shape and were colored a metallic dark-grey with red highlights, especially on their faces and chests. Their visors were glowing red as they stared at the newcomers.

The lead robot raised its hands and Naruto's eyebrows shot up when they morphed into guns. " _Intruders, identify yourselves._ " It ordered.

Naruto and Adam exchanged a glance, then at the same time, they sprinted forward. Seeing them fail to identify themselves and instead move to attack, the robots attacked. While Adam jumped over the bullets, Naruto slid across the ground and under them while taking out his gunblade at the same time.

The first robot readjusted its aim to shoot at Naruto, but the blond was already slicing it in half. Not stopping, Naruto spun around and blocked the slash of another robot that attack from behind with swords jutting from its wrists. Spinning around the robot, Naruto stabbed into its back before tugging his blade out and destroying another one.

Suddenly, Naruto screamed in pain a black and red blade stabbed into Naruto's back. The robot behind him was about to follow up with another attack, but stopped when Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The robot was decapitated in the next second.

Sweeping his eyes over the enemies and counting the remaining number, Naruto turned his blade into its gun form. Ducking between the robots and gunfire, Naruto quickly decreased their numbers even further.

"You better duck!" Eyes widening, Naruto rolled forward, barely avoiding a wide sweep of Adam's blade. The redhead had a wide and malicious grin on his face.

Springing back to his feet with his weapon back in blade form, Naruto destroyed another robot while throwing Adam a glare. "The hell was that for?!"

"I told you to duck! You're lucky to get that much! Just stay out of my way!" Without waiting for a response, Adam continued cutting through the enemies.

"Freaking psychopath…" Naruto growled. Slowly, they made their way through the hordes of robots and to the ship. Taking out the final robot, Naruto put away his gunblade and turned to Adam. "So now what?"

"Now comes the getting on the ship part." Crouching low for a moment, Adam leapt high into the air and onto the deck of the ship, Naruto soon doing the same. When Naruto joined him, Adam pointed towards the crates. "You go towards the cargo. The human guards are probably there." Naruto nodded.

"And you?" It was then that more robots started showing up.

The malicious grin from before returned. "I'm going to take these pieces of scrap out." He sprinted towards the robots.

Not wanting to waste any of his worry on him, Naruto turned and rushed towards the cargo, but he wasn't able to get close before his way was blocked.

"You there! Stop!" Standing in front of Naruto was a squad of people wearing white-grey body armor with blue highlights across their arms and helmets. Their helmets almost completely covered their faces -their mouths being exposed- and they wore black pants.

Half of the group had rifles out and pointed at Naruto while the other half had swords out. "You are under arrest! Put your hands on your head and slowly get to your knees!" When Naruto did nothing, the leader spoke louder. "I said hands up and get on you-gah!" He was cut off by a second Naruto dropping into the middle of their formation and kicking him in the back.

The sudden appearance of a second intruder caught the others off guard and made them momentarily hesitate. Using the chance, Naruto rushed forward while at the same time taking his gunblade back out and turned it into blade form.

He cut into the nearest guard and sent him to the ground before spinning around and doing the same to the next one. His clone was quick to follow the original's lead and joined in on decimating the guards. They didn't have to be too careful because of the armor they were wearing, but all of their strikes were aimed towards nonlethal areas.

One of the guards that was quicker to grasp the situations yelled out. "Watch out for clones! We're dealing with Kitsune!" He raised his gun and opened fire on the original. Naruto raised his blade and deflected the bullets. The instant the ammo the guard had in the rifle emptied, he found Naruto already upon him.

Naruto flipped over his clone just as it spun around with a wide attack. Flipping his body around in the air, Naruto lashed a foot out to another guard and landed a hard kick to his head. It was then that a guard wielding a sword rushed him. The guard was surprised when a kunai was used to block his blade instead of the black sword. Using the chance, Naruto swung his sword and took out the guard. Taking another look around, Naruto saw that there weren't any other guards standing.

A loud crash made Naruto's head whirl around to see that the side one of the larger crates had been broken out from the inside. Walking out from the crate was another robot, but it was much larger than the others.

This robot was painted dark grey and red. It had four legs, two arms, and an upright body. A cannon was mounted on either arm while two larger ones were attacked to its shoulders.

The large robot turned towards Naruto and charged its cannons. Eyes widening in surprise, Naruto and his clone rolled to the sides, narrowly avoid the blast. They sprung back to their feet and rushed the robot. Seeing that there were two intruders, the robot aimed an arm at each of them and opened fire. The shots were powerful, but they didn't have the speed of a bullet.

"Above!" Naruto barked. The clone nodded and jumped into the air. At the same time, Naruto put on an extra burst of speed and closed the distance between him and the robot. Together, they attacked from two different angles. Naruto's sword made contact with the closest leg, but he wasn't expecting it to do no damage. Similar to the original's attack, the clone's sword didn't do any damage.

Not even reacting to the attacks, the robot kicked out a leg while also sweeping an arm. Naruto was able to jump out of the way, but the clone was dispelled didn't have a chance to.

"Damn it…" Naruto jumped onto a crate to gain some distance and turned his weapon back into gun form. He opened fire on the robot, but was still unable to do any damage. "How the hell do I get rid of this thing?" The robot turned towards him and took aim. _'Gotta move!'_

Naruto jumped down and behind another crate just as the one he was standing on was blasted apart. Once he was out of sight, he dashed between the crates to get around the robot while staying out of sight. The next minute was filled with nothing but potshots and an increasingly irritated Naruto. _'I hate this thing…'_ Hiding behind another crate, Naruto glanced around the corner and took in the robot's frame, trying to spot a weak point. His eyes soon found what he was looking for, allowing a smirk to form.

The robot whirled its cannons around and opened fired at him when he dashed out from cover, but Naruto avoided the shots and continued his charge. Once he was close, the robot kicked at him, only to miss. Naruto slashed his blade across the body of the robot, but met with the same results. Not letting up, Naruto continued his assault. Because he was so close, the robot was unable to aim its cannons at him.

When he decided he had done enough, Naruto jumped back to gain some distance and stood there. Having a clear shot, the robot charged all of its cannons together to form a single powerful blast. Naruto watched carefully for the right moment.

"Now!"

Suddenly, a clone jumped in front of the robot, a blue sphere of chakra in its hand. " **Rasengan**!" The clone thrust its attack at the robot's attack at the exact moment that it was going to fire. The following explosion brought another smirk to Naruto's face. When the smoke cleared, it showed that the robot had been destroyed. "There we go."

Nodding at his handiwork, Naruto turned and made to leave, but found his path blocked.

"Salutations!"

Standing in front of Naruto was a girl who looked to be a few years older than him. She had short, curly orange hair that came down to her chin, bright green eyes, and freckles. Her outfit was made up of a beige old-fashioned blouse with short overalls, and stockings that were collared black and green. On her back was a small backpack. She had a wide smile on her face.

"Whoa!" Naruto jumped back in surprise. He didn't even notice her get so close. "Uh, hi? Nice to meet you?"

"Why, thank you! My name is Penny! It is a pleasure to meet you as well!"

Naruto nodded slowly. "Right…" Something about this girl didn't seem right…

The girl's smile widened. "If it is alight with you, I would like to ask a question!"

"Okay…What is it?"

"Are you the rogue huntsman known as Kitsune?" She asked, making Naruto blink in surprise.

"Uh…" He hesitated. What exactly should he say here? "Yes?"

The girl beamed in response. "Oh, wonderful!" Naruto was getting more and more confused with every word she said.

"It is?"

"Yes! I am very happy to meet you!"

"Um…why?"

"Are you willing to turn yourself over to the authorities?"

She couldn't be serious, could she? "No?" Penny nodded in understanding.

"Understood! If that is the case, then I have been ordered to capture the rogue huntsman Kitsune and bring him in for questioning!" She said, grin still intact.

Naruto was _not_ expecting a response like that. Tensing, he spoke up. "You have been ordered to _what_?"

"By orders of my superiors, I am to subdue you in combat and ensure your safe transport! I have been ordered to not use lethal force, but all other options are available!"

"What?!"

"Shall we now commence with our battle?" Naruto jumped back.

"Wait! I don't want to fight you!"

"Do not worry! I am combat ready!"

"That's not what I'm worried about!"

"Here we go!" Before Naruto could say anything else, floating swords appeared from somewhere behind Penny. Thrusting a hand forward, they shot at Naruto.

"Damn it!" Naruto ducked under the first sword, used his gunblade to deflect the next one that came at him, and was then forced to use a kunai to block the third sword. The next moment, Naruto jumped into the air and over the swords. He came back down with his sword slashing down at Penny.

Penny jumped back to avoid the strike and flicked her wrist. Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he threw himself to the ground just in time to avoid the blades that came flying back.

The swords floated in a ring in front of penny. When they picked up speed and gained a green glow, Naruto wanted to swear. Shooting back to his feet, he pumped chakra to his legs and moved to the side just in time to avoid the volley of green blasts that shot at him.

Acting quickly, Naruto created a few clones and had them separate from him. Noticing she was surrounded, Penny glanced around. "Oh, this is the clone semblance I have heard so much about! It really is fascinating to see in person!"

"…Thanks…"

"But I am afraid that I must persist in my attempts on your capture." Spinning around, Penny launched her swords at the clones. All of the clones were able to react, but were unable to move closer to Penny because of the swords attacking them.

Taking the chance, Naruto rushed forward. Because she was still maneuvering the swords that were attacking the clones, Penny was caught off guard and turned back with a surprised look just in time to see Naruto drive the hilt of his sword into her gut.

He was rewarded with a loud clang.

Naruto stared dumbfounded at the spot he hit when he felt the impact. "What…?" That felt like metal…

Penny smiled. "I apologize, but such attacks will not pose much of a threat to me." She lashed out a hand and punched Naruto in the chest. At the same time, the clones were taken out after being distracted by the new development.

"Gah!" Naruto was launched back and into a crate from the blow. Clutching his chest and coughing, he got back to his feet. _'What the hell was that?'_ That was definitely metal he felt. Armor?

"Are you willing to surrender now?"

Naruto shook his head and slid back into a battle stance. "Sorry, but my answer is still no."

"Then let us continue our fight!" She thrust a hand at him, directing more swords to attack.

Channeling chakra to his legs, Naruto rushed to the side, dodging each of the swords and reaching the nearest crate. Jumping at it, Naruto flipped around and landed with his feet on its side before pumping chakra to his legs and leaping at Penny. Surprised by the speed of the rush, Penny was unable to react in time and was kicked in the chest.

The force of the blow made Penny stumble, which was all the opening Naruto needed to launch into a flurry of fast blows. He landed strikes all over her body from her chest to her arms, but something felt off about it.

Jumping back, Naruto stared at her. "You're a robot…" He was dumbfounded by the discovery, but he couldn't come up for any other explanation as to why there would be metal under the girl's very skin.

For the first time, Penny's smile faltered, allowing a wide eyed look of surprise to cross her face. This look was soon replaced by one of fear and worry. "I-I…"

Naruto frowned at the sudden shift in attitude. "Sorry, was I not supposed to figure that out?" Now he felt kind of bad about it.

"No, you weren't." Penny frowned at him. "Because you have discovered classified information, your capture has now risen in priority." Her swords glowed green. "I apologize for any pain you might feel." She raised her arms in preparation, but didn't get the chance to attack.

"What the hell is this? You still haven't cleared out the trash?" The two of them turned to see Adam walking up with a sneer in place. "I thought that you would be finished by now."

Naruto glared at him while still keeping an eye on Penny. "I _was_ finished, but then someone else showed up that was stronger."

Adam looked Penny over before scoffing. "Who, her? You're just too spineless to do the job." He moved his free hand to unsheathe his blade. "You lost your chance, now it's my turn. We're almost out of time."

"No!"

"Adam Taurus, commander of the White Fang." Penny reported. "Capture preferable, but not required. Main priority remains as Kitsune."

This made Adam sneer even more. " _He's_ a higher priority than I am?" He got into a battle stance. "Let me show you how wrong you are." Everything was quiet for a minute, but the silence was soon broken. Penny struck first when her swords whirled around and fired a large blast at Adam. "Ha! Wrong move!" Adam immediately brought his blade up and seemed to absorb the blast itself with it.

When he absorbed the entire thing, the area was thrown into a crimson glow as Adam's hair and the other red detail on his body lit up. "Get lost!" He blurred towards the shocked Penny, who was unable to react in any way to the oncoming danger. Adam stopped a foot in front of her and slashed his sword.

Instead of slicing the robotic girl in half like he expected, Adam was surprised to see that he instead hit nothing but air. Scowling as the glow faded from his body and he sheathed his sword, he turned to see Naruto on the ground nearby with a wide eyed Penny under him.

Naruto released a deep breath. "That was too close." He had barely been able to push Penny out of the way in time. Glaring, he got up and turned to Adam. "What the hell was that?"

"I should be asking you the same question!" Naruto yelled. "We had a deal. You were to leave all of the people who were guarding the ship to me. There wouldn't be _any killing_! So why are you attacking her?!"

"If we did things your way, then we would never get anything done!" Adam gripped his sword tighter. "Now move aside. I'm ending this."

"No!" They stared at each other. Soon, an idea came to Naruto. "All you're doing is proving that you are no better than the humans who don't keep their word." Adam stiffened. "You aren't so different after all…"

"Shut! Up!" Adam ordered. He spun around and started walking away. "Fine. You deal with her. I'm signaling the others now." He soon left their sight.

Naruto released a sigh of relief when he left. "That could have been bad…" He turned to look at Penny, who was still staring at him with wide eyes. "You gonna stay down there much longer?" She stared at him some more, but got up.

They were thrown into an awkward silence.

"So…" Naruto began.

"Did you mean that?" Penny's sudden question made him blink in surprise.

"Mean what?" He asked.

"Did you mean what you said when you called me a person?" She stared into his eyes as she asked that.

Frowning under his mask, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I meant it. Why wouldn't I?"

Penny faltered. "But…But I am a…"

Naruto tilted his head, but soon understood what she was getting at. "Oh, a robot?" Penny looked away and nodded. "So?" Her head snapped back around to him.

"Does that not mean I am not a person?"

Her question made Naruto scoff. "That's a stupid thing to ask. In the short time I've spent with you, you have shown the ability to talk, smile, frown, and even express fear. That's good enough for me. You're just as much of a person as I am."

"…" Penny stared at him in silence, making Naruto feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Uh, hello? You still there? Are you alri-" He was not expecting to be wrapped up in a hug that was tight enough to make him think his ribs were cracking. "Too tight! I give!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Penny jumped up and down in joy as she squeezed Naruto.

"If you're really thankful then let go!"

"Of course!" Naruto took in the much needed air and rubbed his chest. "That is the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me!"

"I'm not sure if I should be happy that I was able to make you feel this way or not…" If he was happy about it, then that would be saying that he was happy that no one had ever said something like that to Penny. She beamed at him, but her smile soon dimmed. Noticing the expression, Naruto frowned. "What's wrong?"

"…I still must complete my orders and capture you." She confessed.

Naruto looked at her warily. "And you can't go against that order?" She shook her head, making him sigh. "Of course you can't…Well, that's fine." His casual dismissal surprised her.

"It is?"

"Yep, I don't see a problem with us fighting. I spar with my friends a lot." Penny's jaw actually dropped minutely this time.

"Friends?" Penny's question prompted a shrug from Naruto.

"Sure, why not? It can be our thing whenever we meet. You try to capture me and I do my best to get away. You're really strong, so that make it more fun. I will need to find a way to either defeat you each time or get away."

Penny grinned at him. "That sounds wonderful!" It was like a game that she heard friends played together.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I think so too. We'll have to continue it next time." She tilted her head at him.

"Why not now?" She couldn't see it, but Naruto smirked under his mask.

"Because I've already won this time. Also, I really am sorry about what I'm about to do." The feeling of something pressing into her stomach made Penny look down.

She was not expecting to see a black gun with glowing yellow lights pointed at her.

Not giving her the chance to react, Naruto pulled the trigger and held it. An intense stream of electricity was pumped into Penny's body, causing the girl to stiffen and jerk sporadically. Naruto just watched her struggle for a minute before she finally started to lose consciousness. Catching her before she could hit the ground, Naruto gently propped her off to the side.

"I seriously am sorry about this…" He whispered. Doing something like that made him feel like crap, but he did not want to continue their fight. Naruto stood up and checked his weapon. "Wow, that pretty much drained the entire crystal. She really is tough…" Taking one last glance at her, Naruto turned and went to meet up with Adam.

He couldn't wait for this mission to be over.

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 9!**

 **There, now the White Fang have agreed to work with Cinder.**

 **I was listening to From Shadows (the song from the Black trailer) while I wrote the fights in this chapter.**

 **Yes, I remember what Cinder's group did to Penny, so please don't feel the need to remind me repeatedly and question me.**

 **I altered Blazefire Saber to be capable of having dust crystals inserted into it to use different elements. This way, Naruto isn't stuck with only normal bullets.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	10. Chapter 10

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 10!**

 **Midterms. Midterms everywhere! I swear, some professors are just sadistic with this shit.**

 **Slightly shorter chapter this time, I know. To be fair though, I said from the beginning that my minimum would be 3k-4k words.**

 **The people who are voting for Raven in the poll must just want to see this story go to shit or something. I mostly put that option as a joke because I have no clue how I would even start to pull it off.**

* * *

 **dracohalo117: You absolutely should! The series is at a really good part right now.**

 **chouritsushi: I know what you mean. This volume really changed my perspective of her.**

 **PredatorPuck: If I can do it in a reasonable way, maybe.**

 **The Sorrowful Deity: I'd like him to be, maybe. The problem is getting to that point in a manner that makes sense and doesn't rush it. I have a few ideas, but we'll see what happens.**

 **Monsieur La Critique: I must admit I was a little confused by your review. I'm not doing the trailers, so where did you get the idea that I was? The point that Naruto left his dimension was during the Valley of the End, when he didn't have any real training with Kurama's chakra whatsoever.**

 **Lightningblade49: I know, right?**

 **tdychko: I'm going to tentatively say playing nice, but I can still work it to where they are actually nicer…but it is unlikely I'll go that route unless I really need to.**

 **SHMANDER: Oh, my bad, I got it. Thanks!**

 **Djexe: I admit; the Phantasy Star series has a lot of great ideas I can implement (Some of which I plan to do at a later point). As for the Kyūbi teaching him, maybe.**

 **Itachi1275: You mean the half she has in canon? She already has it. You mean the half she is missing? At some point, maybe.**

 **NeoNazo356: I think I had it be just as heavy handed as canon did it. And as for the Penny stuff, I'm looking forward to writing those interactions.**

 **Goldspark1: First, he still didn't have monster strength after he trained with Jiraiya. Second, I didn't make him so strong, He was fighting Beowolves in that chapter, pretty much the weakest things ever.**

 **animeandgamerlover2: :P**

 **six samurai of dragon order: Pending.**

 **Guest: Go catch up with the series!**

 **Jose19: Perhaps, but I have some things in mind.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

" _It…Ple…O…k"_

"… _ht!"_

"… _use y…ere."_

"… _You're…"_

"… _scar…way."_

"… _Wha…kes…"_

"… _ee i…do!"_

" _No!"_

"… _now! W…up…te!"_

" _Lia…the…"_

" _How?"_

" _Do…thi…"_

"… _For…se?"_

" _You sur…"_

" _That…it"_

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

Naruto gasped and bolted upright as he jolted awake. His body was drenched in cold sweat and it felt like his heart was about to burst right out of his chest. Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to regain control of his breathing and calm himself down.

"Just a dream…" He muttered to himself. "But…" The entire thing had been blurry and muffled, as if it was going through some type of filter before he even had it. Closing his eyes, he tried recalling the bits and pieces he _could_ remember, but found all the details already leaving him. Scratching an itch on the back of his hand with a sigh, he abandoned his attempts and instead glanced to the clock. _'Might as well get up now.'_ He didn't want to feel all sweaty so early in the day if he didn't have to.

* * *

 **Warehouse**

" _What_ did you just say?" Cinder asked dangerously.

Roman backed up while rapidly shaking his head. "I plead not guilty! It isn't my fault!" He looked over to the others, who were just standing off to the side. "A little help would be greatly appreciated!" Emerald, Mercury, Naruto, and Neo all shook their heads.

"Nope."

"Not my problem."

"Not happening."

"…"

The crime boss glared at them. "Thanks, I can just _feel_ the camaraderie."

"Roman." Said man flinched at Cinder's voice and slowly turned back to her.

"…Yes?"

"Would you please repeat what you just told me?" She phrased it like a polite question, but they all knew that it wasn't.

Swallowing nervously, Roman complied. "Due to an… _unexpected_ circumstance in the form of the local law enforcement and their apparently new tracking devices, the location of one of our hideouts may soon be…compromised?"

Amber eyes glowed. "Which hideout?"

It was getting increasingly difficult for Roman to meet her eyes. "…The one on the edge of Mountain Glenn." He said quietly.

Cinder's eyes glowed brighter. "So the one that houses a large portion of all the dust we've acquired over the last six months." She clarified. Closing his eyes, Roman nodded mutely. "And how exactly did this happen?"

"Uh…It may have something to do with the fact that the cases we took from the shop to transport the dust weren't checked." Roman answered. "We only noticed after we unloaded the dust there and were on our way back. One of the, and _this_ is the truly surprising part, henchmen provided by Junior noticed the tracker on a case we still had. Good thing the current month's contract is up yet, eh? We destroyed the thing, but that doesn't help us now that there are tracking devices already at the hideout…" He chanced a look at her, only to wince at the expression she had on her face. "Not my finest moment, I know."

' _He's screwed.'_

' _Hate to be him.'_

' _Glad I wasn't in on that operation.'_

"…Very well." Cinder said after a minute. "Then we will have to move quickly to secure it all. In addition to the men you need for the job, take Neopolitan and Naruto with you to the hideout. We can't be too sure of what they are going to be sending there, so having them should cover the bases." Roman nodded while internally sighing in relief. He turned and opened his mouth, but was interrupted. "We can talk some more about this… _unexpected circumstance_ once you get back." He shivered at the tone.

Well, now he was contemplating if getting arrested would be a better option.

* * *

 **Edge of Mountain Glenn**

The bullhead they were in touched down lightly on the rocky terrain. Naruto got up and walked over to the hatch as it opened, getting his first look at the ruined city. A wave of depression hit him as he saw it. "This is…"

"Yeah, not too pretty is it?" Turning his head, Naruto saw Roman step up next to him and survey the ruins. With a sigh, he lit a cigar. "This was meant to be a major expansion of the city, but as you can see, it didn't work out too well." He shrugged. "Depressing? Sure. But you can't deny that the ruins have their uses." He walked out of the bullhead with the henchmen.

Instead of following, Naruto chose to take another look at the city, but he was pulled from his thoughts when a hand rested on his shoulder. Glancing to the owner, Naruto was met with the sight of Neo with a small smile on her face. When she saw that she had his attention, she nodded her head in the direction of the others. Getting the message, Naruto nodded as well and the two of them soon caught up.

"So the hideout is just one of these abandoned buildings?" Naruto asked.

Roman raised a hand and gave him a 'sort of' gesture. "Close, but no. The entrance to the hideout _is_ in one of these buildings, but the hideout itself is an addition that was later added." He pointed. "It's just up ahead." Naruto followed his point and spotted a rundown hotel.

The group followed Roman into the building and watched as he walked behind the reception desk and started to feel the underside of it. "Now where is that stupid thing…I swear it moves every time I want to find it…" He muttered. After a few more seconds of searching, he grinned victoriously. "Ah, finally." Flipping a switch, a portion of the back wall of the room slid aside to reveal a set of stairs that led underground. "There we go."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "If the thing is concealed, then why do we need to get the stuff out?"

"Simple, really." Roman began as he walked down the stairs. They soon came out to a moderately sized underground storage area. "The 'good guys' know that I'm the one who came here. I don't mean to brag-"

"But you will anyways."

Roman continued like he didn't hear that, even as some of the henchmen snickered. "-but that fact alone means that this search will be a much higher priority than it normally would. This entrance is concealed, yes, but it isn't too hard to find. The location of the switch is actually a bit of a cliché." He snapped his fingers. "Enough talking, let's get the stuff and beat it before people show up." The henchmen nodded and got to work.

Working quickly, they were able to move the crates of dust and other goods onto their bullhead, but it wasn't going fast enough for Roman. "Hurry it up! We're already lucky to have had this much time. The only reason that we aren't already swarmed with cops is because they needed time to verify the location and to gather the required forces! Something that they have surely…done by…now…" He trailed off as a bullhead flew overhead. "Oh that is just _wonderful_!" His eyes went to Naruto and Neo. "Well go on." He made a shooing motion. "Be a good pair of guard dogs and get rid of them."

Naruto scowled at him while Neo stuck out a tongue. Although he would have loved to correct Roman, Naruto knew that the mission comes first. Turning, he and Neo moved to keep the opposition at bay and buy some time.

As they moved, Naruto spotted a fire escape. "Let's see what we're up against first." Neo nodded with a smile and the two of them were soon on top of a rooftop. Creeping over to the edge of the building, Naruto and Neo spotted the newcomers. "So just some cops? That's it?" He regretted those words the very next moment when a second bullhead landed, only this one didn't have the VPD logo on the side.

Feeling eyes on him, Naruto looked over and saw that Neo was giving him a deadpan look. He knew what she was thinking right away. "I did not jinx it." She rose an eyebrow. "Shut up." He grumbled and turned back.

The second bullhead and landed in a position that made it so they couldn't see the people who were coming out, which annoyed Naruto as he would have liked to get a look at who had shown up. It was then that one of the police officers walked over to the second bullhead.

"You're the group they sent? Which of you is the leader?" It was faint, but it was still possible to hear their words.

"That'd be me. You the one in charge on your end?" A female voice responded.

The cop nodded. "Yes. I would like to thank you for the assistance. I realize how it may have been difficult to respond in such an abrupt manner."

Naruto and Neo exchanged glances. The police requested help from someone else? "Who is it…?" Naruto wondered quietly.

"No problem, it was getting a little boring anyway. So, do you have any specific way you want to do this?"

"There isn't much for us to do besides search the vicinity and go from there." He informed. "We know Torchwick came to this area, but we can't be too narrow it down any further than that."

"Hm…Got it. If it's alright with you, we'll break off and take a look around. If either party finds something, then they'll call the others. Sound good?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Great. Now our group will be doing a sweep towards the north first, towards the edge of the district," Neo shifted her body to look in the direction indicated. "but we will swing around before we get too far."

"Understood." The officer said. "The best of luck to you. Be careful out there."

"The same to you and your men." The officer moved back over to his men and issued orders. Naruto and Neo crept back from the edge of the roof so they wouldn't be spotted.

Naruto turned to Neo. "The cops shouldn't be too hard to deal with, but I have no idea who the other group is. Do you?" A shrug and a shake of the head was her answer. "Alright then. I'll just send some clones for the cops while we take out the others."

"Oh, do you really think that will be as easy as you make it sound?" Naruto and Neo's eyes widened in surprise. At once, they withdrew their weapons and whirls around to face the speaker.

Standing there was a girl that looked to be at least around Yang's age. She had short, dark brown hair and pale skin. On the side of her face were wavy locks that started off as dark brown but shifted to orange. Her outfit consisted of a long, cocoa colored shirt, a dark brown corset, and dark brown pants. In addition to this, she also wore a large number of other additions such as a dark beret, gloves, and a belt that looked to have bullets adorning it. Her eyes were concealed behind a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses and she was holding a black handbag.

Next to the girl was another person who was simply standing there stoically with his arms crossed. He was an extremely tall teenager with short black hair and slightly tanned skin. The boy was wearing a long short-sleeved robe worn on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt, which was fastened by a leather armored belt. He also had on brown pants and boots that was a mixture of black and green. On his left arm was armor that extended past his shoulder and ended around his elbow. The boy's weapon was obvious as there was a large, copper colored great sword fixed to his back.

The girl smirked at them. "You know, if you wanted to remain undetected, then you should have made sure you were out of hearing range first."

Naruto and Neo slid into battle stances. _'There's no way they heard us from all the way over there. I'm the only one who spoke and I was sure to keep it quiet. And they couldn't have heard our movements, so how?'_ The answer soon came to him. "…A Faunus." They both looked to be human, but he wouldn't rule it out.

The smirk on the girl's face widened, but she didn't deny or confirm his words. "So, what were the two of you doing spying on us, hm?"

Neo looked over to Naruto, clearly indicating that he was going to be the one who spoke. "You already know the answer." Naruto said.

"Yeah, you're right. The mission dossier mentioned that there was a possibility that Kitsune would show up. So seeing you here is no surprise." The two silent people on the roof seemed content to just let their team leaders speak.

"Mission dossier…You're huntsmen?" That would mean that this entire thing just got a lot harder.

"Oh, so close. You wanna try again?" The girl asked playfully.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. Taking in their appearances again, he noted for the second time that they were teenagers. "You're students."

The girl grinned. "You got it. Now, our mission is to aid the police in getting the dust back, but side objectives state that the arrest of you and Torchwick would yield an increase in pay. So sorry, but I'm afraid that you'll have to come with us."

"And I'm afraid that that isn't happening." He reached back and unsheathed his gunblade. She raised an eyebrow at him. Neo twirled around her umbrella before pointing it at them.

"Oh, so you wanna fight? That's fine, this would honestly be boring if you didn't." She looked up to her companion. "So, how about it? Would you care to start us off, Yatsuhashi?"

Yatsuhashi shrugged and reached for the sword on his back. "I don't mind." He brandished his weapon towards them. "I apologize for any injuries you gain." Without any further preamble, he jumped into the air.

"Move!" They leapt to the sides as Yatsuhashi's sword came back down where they had been standing. Naruto raised his gunblade and prepared himself to go in for an attack, but the thought was pulled from his mind when the force of the blow actually spread cracks throughout the rooftop.

Stumbling, Naruto watched as Yatsuhashi jumped away from the spot where he landed as it began to fall through. _'He's actually bringing the building down!'_ Naruto knew right away that Neo would be fine on her own, so he instead focused on making sure that he wasn't killed in the collapse. Turing, he began to make his way to the edge of the roof to jump to another building, but he found his path cut off by a large sword.

Ducking, Yatsuhashi's attack passed him with only a couple of inches to spare. Using the chance, Naruto shot his gunblade up and slashed at his side. The masked blond was slightly annoyed to see that barely any damage was done, but he didn't let up. Spinning around to Yatsuhashi's back, Naruto sliced at his back.

With impressive agility given his larger size, Yatsuhashi was able to whirl around and intercept Naruto's blade with his own. Naruto grunted and was pushed back a couple feet due to the power behind the opposing sword, but he was able to stay upright after applying some chakra. Their clash was stopped when the roof started to cave in some more, causing the section they were standing on to splinter and fall.

Breaking off, Naruto jumped and used giants chunks of falling debris to get a safer path down to the ground, Yatsuhashi doing the same. Taking the chance, Naruto shifted his weapon into gun form and took a couple shots at him. Although he was surprised, Yatsuhashi was able to react quickly after the first two rounds impacted his body. Spotting Naruto, he raised his sword and used it as a shield from the fire by deflecting what he could.

When they reached the ground, Naruto rushed at Yatsuhashi with his gunblade back in blade form. Seeing the danger as he landed, Yatsuhashi moved to block the attack. Unexpectedly, Naruto sped up and reached Yatsuhashi's position sooner than the tall teen had expected, meaning Naruto had a clear shot to get another couple hits in.

Yatsuhashi grunted in pain at the assault. Deciding that was enough, he pivoted his body and swept an arm out at Naruto's location, only to have it meet nothing but air as his opponent rolled forward.

Springing back to his feet, Naruto moved to attack again, but he didn't get the chance to when a copper colored great sword appeared in his face. Naruto hastily brought his blade up to block, but he the power of the attack still made him stumble back.

Using the chance, Yatsuhashi launched his own assault of blows, all of which were backed by his enormous strength. Naruto grit his teeth in frustration. While this guy wasn't extremely fast, he could take a hit and return the favor twice over. For the next minute, Naruto pushed himself to shield himself from all the attacks he wasn't able to dodge while at the same time attempting to land his own attacks.

Naruto leaned back to avoid sweep of the great sword and lashed out with his leg. Staying calm, Yatsuhashi raised an arm and to block the kick. Once that was done, he swung his blade down at Naruto, who used his hands to launch himself up and out of the way. Using the opportunity presented now that Naruto was in the air, Yatsuhashi slashed at him, but missed as Naruto flipped his body around.

Expecting such a result, Yatsuhashi immediately altered his attack to shoot back towards Naruto. Eyes widening in surprise, Naruto brought his gunblade up and was barely able to deflect the attack in time. With Yatsuhashi's arm and weapon raised into the air, Naruto lunged at him. Yatsuhashi turned his body to the side to dodge, successfully doing so. Once that was done, he brought his great sword back down at Naruto, but was rewarded with only a shower of sparks as Naruto protected himself.

Naruto disengaged and jumped back to gain some distance, but Yatsuhashi wasn't willing to let him get too far and was following right away. Yatsuhashi swung his blade at Naruto, but Naruto dodged by flipping over the larger teen. As he passed directly over Yatsuhashi, Naruto struck at him. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get his weapon up in time, Yatsuhashi instead chose to pivot his body in the direction that his sword was already moving in while simultaneously leaning to the side. This resulted in Naruto's blade cutting off a few hairs, but nothing more.

Once he was sure that he was out of the way of harm, Yatsuhashi put more strength into the still ongoing arc of his sword. Acting quickly, Naruto spun his body around while still in the air to increase the momentum of a downward strike. This resulted in Naruto's gunblade being the one to collide with the great sword. With the immediate danger over, Naruto landed again and struck out at his opponent.

Yatsuhashi took a step to the side to dodge and thrust his blade down at Naruto, who dodged at the last second. The force of the missed attack cracked the ground and made rubble fly into the air. Not wasting a moment, Naruto stabbed at Yatsuhashi and was rewarded with a cut in the taller teen's arm.

Ignoring the stinging pain, Yatsuhashi sent his blade back at Naruto, but was parried again. Naruto rushed forward and swung his blade. Seeing this, Yatsuhashi moved his blade to counter, but faltered when Naruto instead put on another burst of speed and pivoted around him at the last moment.

Naruto had a clear path to Yatsuhashi's back. _'It's over.'_ He slashed his gunblade, but was surprised when a black handbag stopped it cold.

"You really do need to work on your speed a bit more, Yatsu." The girl from before was standing in between him and Yatsuhashi. Naruto quickly jumped back to gain some distance.

' _I can't believe I didn't notice her get close!'_ He really needed to learn to pay some more attention to his surroundings while he fought. He took the chance to pay more attention to his current condition. _'Still not too tired. I'm good to go…'_ He was lucky that none of Yatsuhashi's strong hits had landed.

A slightly panting Yatsuhashi nodded to the girl in thanks. "I noticed…Thank you for the help."

The girl nodded and turned to Naruto. Tilting her head down, dark brown eyes peered at him from behind her sunglasses. "I watched the fight the entire time and I gotta say, kid. You're pretty good. To be able to fight evenly with Yatsu is nothing to sneeze at."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "…Thanks, I guess." His eyes moved to Yatsuhashi. "You're no pushover. I feel like I've made pretty much no progress." Yatsuhashi nodded.

It was then that something occurred to Naruto and he glanced around. _'Where's Neo?'_ He had assumed that she was being occupied by this girl, but apparently not.

The girl noticed his glance and smirked. "Oh, you're wondering where your friend went?" Naruto's eyes snapped to her. "Don't worry, she is just being held up by the other half of our team." This statement made Naruto frown.

' _Should have figured that there were more of them…'_

The girl's smirk grew. "Now then, I'm sure that you are only here to buy Torchwick time to escape." Naruto's eye twitched. "So I'm just going to wrap this up now." She hefted her handbag, and Naruto could barely contain a gape as he watched it turn into a brown and gold Gatling gun. "Don't worry, this shouldn't be too lethal."

* * *

Naruto dove behind a corner as a hail storm of bullets shot at him. _'You cannot be serious!'_ A damned Gatling gun? Really? Scowling, Naruto peaked his head around the corner when the bullets stopped, only to hastily duck back around the corner when the attack resumed. _'This sucks.'_

"You know; it would be a lot easier if you would just surrender now!" The girl called.

"That's not happening…" Naruto muttered. He looked around in an attempt to find something that would give him the advantage, but found nothing. "Nothing for it then…" Time to fall back on the classics.

* * *

"Coco, do you know where he is?" Yatsuhashi asked with his blade at the ready.

Coco frowned and shook her head while trying to locate the enemy. "Not a clue." Letting him duck behind a building and leave their line of sight probably wasn't the best idea. "Don't let your guard down for a second." She instructed, getting a nod in return.

Movement out of the corner of her eye prompted Coco to swing her gun around and open fire. She smirked victoriously when her bullets ripped into Kitsune, but the smirk was wiped away when he disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Wha…"

"Above!" Yatsuhashi's warning gave her just enough time to jump to the side and avoid a surprise attack. Looking at the attacker, Coco noted that it was the same boy that she had just shot. The sound of metal clashing against metal made her look over to Yatsuhashi. She was surprised to see her tall teammate defending himself from a pair of identical attackers.

It was then that she remembered the information they were given on Kitsune. "That's right…Cloning semblance…" How the hell had she forgotten about that?

Coco was pulled from any further thoughts when the Naruto in front of her rushed her. Acting quickly, she took aim and opened fire on him. Naruto changed directions and started moving to the side, forcing Coco to turn her body to keep her aim on him, but she was still unable to hit him.

Wanting to get an opening, Naruto shifted his gunblade into gun form and fired at Coco. Frowning again, Coco stopped shooting and moved her weapon into position so that it would block the oncoming bullets. Using the chance, Naruto closed the gap between them.

Eyes widening in surprise behind her glasses, Coco was barely able to lean back to avoid the shot that came at her from close proximity. Acting on reflex, she turned her gun back into a handbag and cartwheeled back. Returning to her feet, she cursed and raised her bag to block the sword that was now streaking at her.

She gave him a smirk that was not as convincing as the ones before it. "Watching you fight is one thing, but actually fighting you is a whole different thing…" She said.

Naruto shrugged. "Thanks." He disengaged from their struggle and attacked from a different angle. Cursing in her head, Coco used her bag as a shield again. Naruto noticed something about the way she fought. "You're not used to fighting on your own, are you?"

Coco scowled. "Excuse me?"

"I said you're not used to fighting on your own." He attacked her from the side, managing to get a small cut on her arm. "You are a pain in the ass from a distance, but you aren't too bad close up. Especially with how heavy that bag must be."

Although he couldn't see it, Coco's eyes narrowed. "You are starting to annoy me more and more." She swung her bag at him, but he ducked under it and kicked her in the stomach, making her stumble back, but she turned it into a maneuver to gain some distance. "Enough of this." She muttered. Pressing a button, she turned her bag back into its weapon form. Swiftly taking aim, she shot at Naruto.

The moment he saw her start to her bag back into a gun, Naruto moved to stop her, but she finished before he could attack her. Smirking widely, Coco released another storm of bullets at Naruto, who didn't have time to dodge this time.

Swearing, Naruto's gunblade flew up and he began to deflect bullets. Unfortunately, there proved to be too many coming at such a high speed as some still made it through his defense. Not hesitating for a second, Naruto jumped into the air and out of the immediate line of fire, forcing Coco to turn her gun so she could continue shooting at him, only for eyes to widen in surprise at the pair of kunai flying at her.

"Whoa!" She raised her Gatling gun and blocked the projectiles, but this gave Naruto enough time to land back on the ground and get in close again. By the time Coco had realized the situation, Naruto was already mid-attack.

Suddenly, a large copper colored sword appeared in between them, making Naruto frown in annoyance and Coco sigh in relief. She looked to Yatsuhashi as Naruto jumped back. "Thanks for the save. I guess we're even now." He gave her a small smile and a nod. Turing back to Naruto she glared. "We've wasted enough time fighting you. This ends now." Naruto slid into a battle stance and prepared himself as they did the same.

Before anything could happen, the air next to Naruto cracked and shattered, revealing a slightly scuffed up Neo. She gave them all a wave. Naruto sighed internally in relief at the confirmation that she was alright while Coco and Yatsuhashi frowned at her.

"How are you here?" Coco demanded. "What happened to Velvet and Fox?" The question prompted a shrug from Neo. The lack of response made Yatsuhashi's frown deepened while Coco seemed to be barely capable of preventing herself from attacking. "You…"

" _Hello? Kid, Neo, you hear me?"_ Their earpieces came to life as Roman contacted them. They could hear the sound of gunfire and shouting coming from his end.

Naruto raised a hand to his earpiece. "We hear you. What's up?" Coco and Yatsuhashi watched him warily as he did this, but they wouldn't pass up on the chance to prepare a strategy.

" _Hm, nothing much. Just dealing with the pest that is the local law enforcement."_

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sounds like fun…" He said sarcastically.

" _Oh, it is_ wonderful! _Although their persistence can sometimes get a little stale…"_

"Can you just tell me what you want, please?" Naruto really was not in the mood for Roman's normal routine.

" _Fine, ruin my fun…We're all loaded up here. You should think about heading back."_ He paused as Naruto heard what sounded like something loud exploding nearby on the other end. _"Scratch that. Get over here, now. They've decided to stop just using normal guns…'_

Naruto and Neo exchanged glances. "Understood. We'll be there soon." He cut the transmission off.

Coco scowled at him at those words. "What makes you think that we're just going to let you leave like that?" The answer she got was a shrug.

"I don't expect you to." He crouched low. "But we really are in a hurry…" He blurred forward in a new burst of speed. Not startled in the least, Coco swung her Gatling gun around and opened fire on the oncoming attacker.

Jumping into the air to dodge the bullets, Naruto quickly shifted his weapon back into gun form and shot at them, making Yatsuhashi step in front of Coco and raising his sword to block the bullets. Not letting up, Naruto continued to shoot until he had landed only a couple feet away from them.

The moment the oncoming bullets let up, Yatsuhashi swung his blade to attack, but missed when Naruto stepped to the side. Acting on the chance, Naruto switched his gun into a sword and sliced into Yatsuhashi's chest, earning a grunt of pain. However, because of this, Naruto never saw the black handbag that impacted the side of his head and sent him tumbling back.

Rolling to his feet and clutching the side of his head in pain, Naruto glared at the two Beacon students. _'Getting really sick of this!'_ With a growl, Naruto pumped chakra into his legs and attacked again. His new speed served to be enough to successfully catch both Coco and Yatsuhashi off guard, allowing Naruto to land a strong kick in Yatsuhashi's chest and send him back into a nearby pile of rubble.

"Yatsu!" Coco yelled in worry. She watched his trajectory, but quickly realized her mistake and turned back to her opponent while swinging her bag, but it was too late. Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed her arm to stop her attack while he spun around her. Due to his grip on her arm, this forced Coco's arm into a painful position, making her wince in pain. Not letting up, Naruto aimed his gun at the back of her leg and fired a couple rounds in her. "Ow! God dammit!"

The very next moment, Naruto kicked his own leg to kick her feet out from under her. Just like he had planned, the grip on her arm, the shots to her leg, and the kick had Coco falling down to the ground, where she landed with a thud. The next thing she knew, there was a black gun an inch in front of her nose. She glared at the owner and opened her mouth, but paused. Soon a smile made its way onto her face. Quirking an eyebrow, Naruto opened his mouth to ask what she was smiling about.

He never got the chance to as a surprise attack in the form of a punch to the face sent him into a building. After shaking his head to clear the pain, Naruto got back to his feet and glared at the newcomer.

Standing there was a teenage boy with dark skin and dark, messy copper hair. He had on a sleeveless, dark orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar, a pair of black jeans, and brown shoes. What was strange was that this boy had scars covering his arms and eyes that were completely white.

"Great, another one…" Naruto muttered. _'This has gotta be one of their teammates…'_ The new bow stared at him for a moment before reaching down and helping Coco to her feet.

She nodded to him in thanks. "Thanks for the save, Fox. Good to see you're alright. I guess this means that Velvet is also fine?" The boy nodded. "Good. Then let's finish things up here. I really want to take a shower…"

Naruto tensed as he prepared himself for an attack. _"What the hell is taking you so long? All the dust is secured now!"_ The annoyed voice of Roman sounded from the earpiece.

With an annoyed roll of his eyes, Naruto responded. "Sorry, but we're facing something a little tougher than some cops…"

" _Like I care! If you're not here in the next three minutes, then I'm leaving without you!"_

"Fine, fine…" Neo regrouped with him at this point. "Can you get us a chance to get out of here?" He asked quietly, getting a nod in return. "Good. Do it whenever." The sound of movement behind them made his eyes widen in surprise.

Whirling around, Naruto's blade intercepted an attack from Yatsuhashi, but his knees buckled form the weight behind the attack. Gathering as much strength as he could, Naruto pushed back, but didn't manage to even make the taller teen budge. "I'm sorry, but this fight ends now." Yatsuhashi said quietly before pressing down harder.

It was at that point that Neo moved to aid Naruto with a kick to the side of Yatsuhashi's head. With a surprised grunt, Yatsuhashi stumbled back. Using the opening, Naruto rushed forward to take him out of the fight, but found his path blocked by another person. _'Fast!'_ Sufficiently caught off guard, Naruto was unable to protect himself from the surprise kick that met his face and sent him back.

Flipping in the air and landing on his feet, Naruto clutched his face again. "That's _it_! I'm freaking sick of getting hit…in the…face…" He trailed off as he got a look at who the newest person to hit him in the face was. Naruto could feel his blood run cold as he took in her appearance.

The newest person to join the fight was a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Her outfit was made up of a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown pants and black leggings. She also had golden spaulders and vambraces on both arms. But none of this is what made him freeze.

It was the pair of long, brown rabbit ears on top of her head.

" _Naru!"_

" _Get out of the way!"_

" _Amy!"_

 _Empty green eyes staring at him._

Naruto shivered as the memories of that day in the park came back forcefully. Pulling himself back into the present, he took in the features of the girl in greater detail. _'She…She looks just like…'_ The eye color was off, but there wasn't much else that was different.

The new girl glared at Naruto from her spot. "Velvet." Came Coco's relieved voice. Velvet looked over to her and smiled, but she soon turned back to Naruto with a glare, making him flinch minutely. A small frown of confusion pulled at Velvet's mouth when she saw this.

Naruto glanced over to Neo, who seemed to understand that something was wrong with the blond. Not wasting another moment, she hurried to his side. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Naruto spoke up. "Sorry, but this is the end of the fight." Neo smirked to them and curtsied.

Coco scowled at them. "You're outnumbered four to two. How do you plan on getting out of here?" She asked, but got no answer. Her scowl deepened at being ignored. "Hel- _lo_?" Were they seriously ignoring her now?

Velvet's eyes widened in realization and she rushed forward. Once she was close enough, she shot a kick at the stationary forms of Naruto and Neo. Unexpectedly, instead of her targets getting injured like expected, they shattered into glass.

Gaping slightly, it took Coco a moment to realize what had happened. But when she did, a new surge of anger pulsed through her. "Did they just _get away_?" She growled.

With a sigh, Yatsuhashi put his sword onto his back. "Looks like it…" He said quietly.

Coco shook with rage for a minute before turning whirling around and smashing her handbag into the wall of a building. The other three members of the team watched apathetically as the handbag demolished a large portion of the wall.

* * *

 **With Roman**

"Well, it's about time!" He said impatiently as Naruto and Neo boarded the bullhead. "If you guys were just another thirty seconds late then I was going to…" He paused when he the distant look in Naruto's eyes and the glances that Neo was giving him. "…What? Did something happen?"

Naruto sat in silence for a minute before sighing deeply and shaking his head. "No…Nothing happened."

Roman looked slightly skeptical, but he soon shrugged. "If you say so…" He turned to the cockpit. "I'm going to contact her highness now and let her know the mission was a success." He walked off.

Instead of acknowledging Roman's words, Naruto remained silent as he stared off into space. He was stirred from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Like the previous time, it was Neo, but unlike last time, there was no smile on her face. She tilted her head at him.

With another sigh, Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing." She gave him a doubtful look, eliciting a slightly reluctant chuckle from Naruto. "Really, I'm fine…" He closed his eyes.

"…It's just that I was reminded of the reason I'm doing this."

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 10!**

 **I was so freaking tired as I wrote this…Glad that it's done now.**

 **So yeah. I think I've made a decision concerning Velvet's role.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	11. Chapter 11

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 11!**

 **Yeah, yeah. Short chapter…Continuous midterms can really suck the drive to do anything out of a person. I just want to go to sleep and pretend like the last week and a half never happened…I couldn't get into the flow of things as I wrote this chapter, so I started to struggle a bit towards the end.**

 **Okay, here's the thing. I'm going to say it right here and now; I am planning to upload the next chapter this weekend. The upload schedule has gotten too off the mark and the uploads themselves are lacking, so I'm going to try and pull it back on track to the weekend…where my motivation to write isn't as damaged by how shitty my exams go. Hopefully, me saying this here will provide enough incentive for me to stick to that. Yell at me in the reviews to make it happen!**

 **But if it doesn't…meh.**

 **Glad you guys liked that fight last chapter.**

 **I don't like the latest episode. At all. Like really, what the fuck? Don't go off and do that to my favorite characters.**

 **But whatever, none of what happened actually surprised me. And holy shit. Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer really does work insanely fast, doesn't he? How soon after that episode did he get that new story up?**

* * *

 **Guest: Meh. You think it's disappointing. I think it works well.**

 **PredatorPuck: All in good time. And a body flicker? Does he even know how to do that in Shippuden?**

 **Dark Durian: Yeah, she does. I made sure before I used it like that.**

 **The Sorrowful Deity: Ugh, I feel like it's impossible to write something like a struggle in morals without Star Wars getting referenced. Is this gonna be like that? Hm…Who knows? I sure as hell don't. :P But really, why would I spoil that? As for writing when I'm tired…Yeah, I agree. I was just a dumbass and never went to sleep the night before.**

 **Havic101: Yeah, but it isn't my priority right now. There's a poll on my profile for the pairing.**

 **dracohalo117: You wanna see Naruto lose control? So do I. I'll probably work it in eventually. There are so many chances for me to do so.**

 **Djexe: Eventually, yeah.**

 **negi8820: Thank you! I of course still get the people who say I did a shitty job with it, but I always like seeing that people agree with the pace I've set. I've never watched Young Justice, but I looked it up. Kinda, I guess? It's more like just a pair of hard light daggers. And who says he hasn't? He's gotten stabbed once or twice, but a clone was the one who died, right? As for more directly…meh. I should probably get around to that…**

 **YuukiAsuna-chan: Pretty much, yeah. To be fair, how often did he use the replacement jutsu in canon at this point? And who says he hasn't? He's gotten stabbed once or twice, but a clone was the one who died, right? I have something of a plan for revealing that ability later, just please put up with my crap until then.**

 **Mangahero18: I can say immediately and with confidence that the Phantsay Star series is one of my all-time favorites and it is very underrated...Although I am reluctant to ruin my memories of it by checking out the new anime.**

 **Guest: Demands have been met!**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Warehouse**

Naruto sighed. _'This is taking forever…'_ He lamented inwardly. Currently, he was in a briefing led by Cinder that was meant to bring the rest of them up to speed with the latest reports and such.

So basically, he was sitting in his seat as he heard a bunch of information that he already knew…With the occasional new detail.

While he didn't know _every_ detail of every mission, he knew the general reports just by being around often enough. So why did he have to sit here and listen to this? He glanced over to Mercury and was amused to see that the older teen was perfecting his technique of sleeping with his eyes open.

That was a useful skill, but Naruto thought it looked to creepy when it was done properly and one was in the know that the person doing it was actually asleep. But still, maybe it would be worth learning? Naruto was getting tired of pretending to pay attention to these things. And the thought of being able to nap without getting caught was pretty appealing…

"Naruto." Said blond snapped out of his daze when he heard Cinder's voice say his name. Looking back to her, his eyes met Cinder's, and he shrank in on himself minutely when he saw the faint traces of ire in her eyes.

Clearing his throat, he spoke up. "…Uh, yeah?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mercury wake back up when Emerald elbowed him in the side. After shooting her an annoyed look, he turned to what was going on and smirked when he caught on to the situation. Emerald gained a smaller smirk, but it was still noticeable. _'Traitors.'_ He didn't even bother trying to see Neo or Roman's faces; He knew they would be enjoying this.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Do you wish to leave? Feel free to do so if you do not find anything being said interesting enough."

' _That's a trap.'_ Naruto quickly thought to himself, but instead shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I was just wondering how long it would take before Mercury was caught sleeping." He withheld a smirk of his own when Mercury's eyes widened in panic.

"Is that so…" Cinder's eyes moved to Mercury, allowing Naruto to release a small sigh of relief.

' _Crisis averted.'_

Mercury reluctantly met Cinder's gaze, knowing that refusing to do so would be as good as admitting to it. "I will pose the same option to you. Would you like to leave?" He silently shook his head. "Then I ask that the both of you at least pay _some_ attention. Is that clear?" She got two nods. "Good…Now as I was saying…" Naruto sighed inwardly as Cinder resumed her briefing.

He doubted that Ruby had to sit through lectures that were this boring in a school that was training her to be a huntress.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

' _Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.'_ Ruby thought to herself while doodling in her notebook. When she agreed to go to school here, she didn't think that it would be such a…

 _School._

Sure, they had their occasional fun and exciting moment, but the majority of her time here was still spent sitting in a class and zoning out when the professor gave a lecture that she probably should have been listening to.

Kind of like right now.

Even as she sat in her seat and drew funny pictures that depicted herself kicking bad guy butt and saving the day, Glynda Goodwitch was pacing back and forth in front of the class while droning on and on about aura. Like she didn't already know about aura! She knew it was something that everybody had, could be used for defense, was needed for an amazing huntress like herself, and gave people abilities like her awesome super speed! What else did she need to know? Nothing, that's what.

Silver eyes glanced to the side before hastily looking away again. If Weiss' glare said anything, then the Schnee heiress didn't agree with Ruby's reasoning. _'Bah! What does she know?'_ Ruby had been doing fine up until then, so why bother learning anything else?

Weiss leaned closer to her team leader to whisper to her. "What do you think you are doing?"

Ruby grinned brightly at her female best friend -Because they totally were!- and whispered back. "I'm saving the innocent people being robbed by beating up the bad guys!" She shoved her notebook closer to Weiss. "Look! That's me, those are the innocent people, and those are the bad guys." She pointed out each one.

"You should be paying attention to Professor Goodwitch!" Weiss hissed. "What she is saying is very important!"

Despite the reprimand, Ruby didn't relent like a small child would have in the face of an angry adult. Instead, she chose to pout. "But it's so boring! What does it matter if I know every little thing there is to know about aura? I just need to know how to use it!"

Weiss' reaction to this was to make a face as if Ruby had just thrown a personal insult against her. "It doesn't matter if _you_ don't think it is important! If the Professor says it is, then it is!"

"Aww, lay off a bit, ice queen." Weiss turned and glared at the yellow headed menace sitting in the row behind them. "Ruby is kinda right…At least, when it comes to how boring this is."

"No, she most certainly is not!" Weiss denied.

Yang shrugged. "Meh, it's a matter of opinion…Yours just happens to be wrong." She grinned. "But that's okay! We love you anyways!"

"Keep your love to yourself!"

"No need to be shy~"

"I am not shy!"

"How cute. You're in denial!"

"Don't lean over here to hug me! Get off!" Ruby was a giggling mess at the interaction between her sister and her female best friend.

From her spot next to Yang, Blake sighed. "You guys are being too loud…"

Ruby blinked and looked to her. "We are?" She asked. How come? Were they in a place where they needed to be quiet? Instead of responding, Blake glanced up before burying her face into her notebook.

That's weird. Why does it look like she is hiding her fac- "Ahem." The blood of Ruby, Yang, and Weiss all froze. As one, they turned and saw that the entire class was staring at them…

Including an irritated Glynda Goodwitch.

Glynda gave them a stern look. "Do the three of you have something to add?"

' _It's a trap!'_ Ruby might be somewhat -as in just a _bit_!- gullible, but she wasn't _that_ stupid! She shook her head. "O-Of course we don't, Professor." She stuttered out. "We were just…Uh…" She looked to the others in a clear plea for help.

"We were just discussing the lesson." Best. Sister. Ever! "We find what you are saying to be very interesting and couldn't help but get excited about it." Everyone in the room knew Yang's words were complete bullshit, but no one said anything. The other students were watching the proceedings like they would a movie. "We apologize if we got too out of hand in our enthusiasm."

Glynda quirked an eyebrow. "Then perhaps you wouldn't mind giving us a brief overview of the next topic?"

Yang smiled at her, but she was panicking on the inside. "Of course not. I'd be happy to." Glynda nodded while the rest of team RWBY sent their condolences to their blond teammate.

"Very well then. Please give the class a brief explanation on semblances and the importance of it in relation to huntsmen and huntresses." She instructed.

In an instant, the panic inside of Yang gave way to relief. Was that all? She could do that, easy! "A semblance is the tangible projection of one's aura in the form of an ability. These abilities vary from person to person and are often unique. Despite that, some semblances are similar enough to the point that they can mimic each other." Yang had to consciously restrain herself from squirming under Glynda's gaze.

Thinking over the explanation, Glynda slowly nodded. "While what you said is all true, you left out many key points, Ms. Xiao Long." She turned away, not seeing Yang's body slump in relief or Ruby flash her sister a grin and thumbs up. "As she said, semblances are the abilities people gain from aura, but it is so much more than that." Just like that, she was back in full lecture mode.

"A semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power, with the very nature of the semblance being a representation of the user's character and soul. The semblance of a person is a very good way of observing the person's true self. You can put up any façade or mask, but you cannot change your semblance." Glynda explained. "As said, a semblance is unique to each person, but there have been exceptions to this rule, but only between family members." Weiss puffed out her chest in pride. "If two semblances _do_ seem to be an exact copy, chances are that they just resemble each other enough to appear that way. There is always some difference between the two, no matter how small." Ruby's mind went to her speed semblance and Naruto's. While she left a trail rose petals whenever she used her semblance, Naruto didn't have such a thing.

"The amount of time needed for discovering one's semblance also varies from person to person, although the process may be sped up by the continuous use of aura." A blond student in the room perked up at that information. "Discovery of a semblance is often obtained when the user's in great need of it."

"Dust may be used to modify a semblance somewhat. Fire dust may be added to add an elemental effect while ice dust would do the same." Glynda stopped her pacing and lecture in favor of turning to the class. "Are there any questions so far?"

"Yes, I have one, Professor." A girl raised her hand.

The girl had red hair done into a waist-length ponytail and curled into a loose ringlet, along with vivid green eyes. She had on the typical female student uniform that consisted of long stockings, a red plaid skirt, a brown jacket with a tan vest, and a white shirt with a red ribbon. The only addition to her uniform was her bronze circlet headpiece.

Glynda nodded to her. "Yes, Ms. Nikos?"

Lowering her hand, Pyrrha spoke up. "The way you speak suggests that everyone can only have a single semblance, but is that true? I've heard recently that is may be possible to have a second one…" Everyone knew who she was referring to right away.

A frown made its way onto Ruby's face at the reminder of the person in question, but it was not like the irritated one that Glynda momentarily flashed. Reluctantly nodding, Glynda answered. "Yes…Recent findings suggest that it may be possible for a person to possess a second semblance, but such a thing has only ever been observed in a single example."

"But it's possible then?" A boy interjected with a noticeable amount of greed. "It is possible to have two semblances?"

Sighing internally, Glynda nodded. "Yes, Mr. Winchester, it is possible. But it is still unknown how it can be done." Bartholomew _still_ went off into a craze whenever Kitsune was mentioned. The man would jump at the chance to learn how such a thing was possible. She opened her mouth to continue, but was cut off.

"Then why don't they just catch Kitsune and force him to say how?" Cardin demanded.

Hiding her irritation like a pro, Glynda answered. "That is what many people want to do, but it has proven to be…difficult to catch him." Glynda was still angry at herself for letting both Kitsune and Torchwick escape when she confronted them. "However, even if he explains how he is able to, there is no guarantee that it is possible for anyone else."

"What do you mean, Professor?" A boy asked politely.

He had long black hair tied into a ponytail that ended midway down his back and had a magenta streak on the left side of his hair, which matched the color of his eyes. He was wearing the normal male uniform made up of black suits lined with gold, along with a blue vest, a white shirt, and a red tie.

"In the entire recorded history of people using semblances, this is the first time that it has ever been seen where a person has two, Mr. Ren." Glynda said. "Therefore, it is very plausible that it is something that is unique to Kitsune, perhaps on a biological level, meaning that it is impossible to teach to others."

"Hey, Ren!" A loud an energetic voice yelled.

Wincing due to the proximity of the shout to his ear, Ren glanced over to the girl next to him. "Yes, Nora?"

Nora was a girl with short orange hair and turquoise eyes who was wearing the girl's uniform. Bouncing in her seat, Nora grinned. "Can you imagine how cool it would be to have two semblances?" Ren opened his mouth to respond, but Nora never gave him a chance to. "Oh! Oh! What if I had two semblances?! I could have my normal one, but then I could also have a second one that is just as awesome!" She squealed. "Wouldn't that be the best thing _ever_?!"

Ren waited for a few seconds to make sure she was done before he tried speaking again. "Yeah, Nora…That would be awesome."

"I know, right?!" The hyperactive girl's words brought about the excitement at such an idea in the other students.

Seeing that people were starting to get off track, Glynda continued. "We are beginning to stray off topic. Going back to semblances, there are many different kinds that range from…" Many of the students were put out at the continuation of the lecture, one of them being Ruby, who had actually been paying attention for a change.

Sighing, she looked back to her notebook doodles, but she just didn't feel the urge to draw anymore. Her mind was stuck on the topic they just left.

* * *

 **After Class**

"Hey, sis." Ruby blinked out of her daze and turned to Yang. She was greeted with the concerned eyes of her sister. "You alright? You seem to be kind of…out of it." Yang asked. She had noticed that although Ruby stopped paying attention to the lecture again, she didn't start to doodle or nap like she usually did.

Ruby quickly plastered on a wide grin. "Me? I'm perfectly fine! I'm a-ok! Nothing's wrong at all! Ha ha! How silly of you to think that!" She averted her eyes as she laughed.

None of the members of team RWBY were convinced by their leader's poor acting. "Right…" Weiss drawled. "And it is perfectly normal for you to sit quietly in a lesson without being disruptive in any way." She said sarcastically, earning a grin from Ruby.

"I knew you had faith in me!"

"That was sarcasm, you dolt!"

"Oh…" Why was it so hard to understand what her female best friend meant? This happened all the time!

Blake stepped forward to cut off any one-sided argument that was about to start. "Ruby, are you really alright? You seem…distracted."

Ruby began to smile again, but it was noticeably strained. After a moment, she just dropped the entire thing. "Sorry…I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now."

Immediately, Yang slung an arm over Ruby's shoulders and pulled her close. "What about? It must be something serious if it distracted you from your daydreams of cookies." Ruby blushed and pouted.

"Yaaaang!" She whined. "That is _not_ what I spend all my time thinking about!" Really, it's true! She only spent a quarter her time thinking about sweets!

Yang smiled unrepentantly. "So, what were you thinking about?" She grew concerned when Ruby's smile faded. "Ruby?"

"It's just…I was thinking about Kitsune." The others frowned at that, but Yang's eyes soon widened.

"That's right…" She began quietly. "You met him, didn't you?" Blake and Weiss were both surprised to hear that, but while Blake didn't outwardly react, Weiss scowled.

Turning to Ruby, she spoke up. "You've met Kitsune?" She demanded.

Shrinking back slightly at her glare, Ruby hesitantly nodded. "Well…I don't know if I would say I've _met_ him…more like I fought him." She admitted.

Weiss looked skeptical. "Then why would you bother thinking about him? He's working with the White Fang, meaning that he's just another criminal. The world will be a better place once they are all caught and thrown in jail."

This declaration brought a scowl to Blake's face and she rounded on Weiss. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ that Kitsune and the White Fang are nothing but trouble and a danger to everybody." Blake bristled. "I honestly don't know what they think they are trying to accomplish by committing crimes like that."

"Maybe they are trying to change things for the better? Ever think of that?" Blake asked heatedly.

Weiss scoffed. "By stealing from people and acting as terrorists? How could that possibly help anyone?"

"It helps people who they are defending and trying to care for!"

"And what about the people who they are stealing from? What about the people they defend and are caring for?!" The two of them were oblivious to the audience that was their teammates standing off to the side.

"The White Fang steals from corrupt companies that endorse subjugation and racism!"

"That's a lie!"

"No, it isn't! The White Fang is what they are because they had no other choice! They might be a little misguided, but their intentions are the right ones!"

"I refuse to believe that a bunch of terrorists that have nothing better to do than rob people have the right intentions!"

It was at that point that Yang chose to intervene. "Alright, alright! That's enough!" Weiss and Blake closed their mouths, but didn't stop glaring at each other. "How about we not talk about who is right and who is wrong? Neither of you will ever relent, so why bother?" She was honestly getting a headache from this.

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Teammates shouldn't fight!" She pointed dramatically at them. "As leader of team RWBY, I order you two to stop fighting and get along!" Weiss and Blake stared at her for a moment. Then, as at the same time, they glanced to one another and rolled their eyes. "Hey! What's with those looks?!"

Blake shook her head. "Nothing."

"That didn't look like nothing!"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Well it was." Ruby looked between the two of them suspiciously.

She didn't buy that for a second!

Yang smiled at the interaction. "So, back to what we were talking about…" She began. Ruby blinked slowly. "We were talking about how you were distracted in class?" Realization came to her sister's silver eyes.

"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot!" Now it was Yang's turn to roll her eyes. "Hey! Why are you doing that too?!"

"No reason. Don't worry about it." She ignored Ruby's pout. "You said you were thinking about Kitsune. What about him?"

Ruby frowned. "It's just…I still don't get why Kitsune is siding with someone like Roman Torchwick." She's thought about it a lot, but she just can't figure out a reason.

Weiss huffed. "Who knows what goes on in the mind of a criminal? Don't waste your time trying to understand why they do what they do." Blake glared at her, but it went unnoticed.

"But…" Ruby began hesitantly. "He _must_ have a reason, right? He used to be a good guy. He was a huntsman and everything." When Ruby first heard about him, she had been insanely jealous over the fact that someone who looked to be around her age was already out there doing missions and helping people. "Why would he just give that up and become a criminal?"

Blake looked away. "Something big could have happened that made him decide to do that…" Having met Kitsune and spoke to him, she knew a major reason was because he regretted not being able to do more at the park. But she couldn't exactly say that, could she?

"No matter what his reason may be, I doubt it is good enough." Weiss insisted before looking at Ruby with a stern look. "Why? Do you want to try _talking_ him out of being a criminal?"

Ruby's frown deepened. After a minute of silent thought, she shook her head. "No, I don't." They all blinked in surprise at that. "Kitsune is a criminal now who is siding with people like Roman Torchwick, who we _know_ is a terrible person. I still don't get why he would do that…but it doesn't change the fact that he's a bad guy now." Blake frowned at that, but didn't say anything.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, but it was soon broken by Yang grinning and pulling Ruby into a hug. "Oh~ Look at you sounding all determined and serious!"

"Yang!"

"I love you too!"

Weiss rolled her eyes again, but a small smile was playing at her lips. "It's good to see that you are able to think logically every once in a while."

"Hey!" Ruby yelled, but squawked when Yang suddenly picked her up and spun her around. "Yang! Stop it!"

"Nah! This is too much fun!"

It took Ruby twenty minutes to convince Yang to let her go. As soon as she did, Ruby sent a betrayed look towards the other two members of the team. "Why didn't either of you help me?!" That wasn't what faithful teammates did! They helped their fearless leader when she cried out to be rescued from her sister!

Blake only glanced up from her book for a moment before looking back. "Because it would have been too much trouble to get involved. The best thing for us to do in that situation was to let you take the fall." Weiss nodded in agreement while buffing her nails.

"That's mutiny!"

"No…It isn't." Weiss deadpanned. "Just common sense."

"But…" Ruby couldn't argue with that logic. If she were them, she would have just felt relieved that Yang wasn't focusing on her. She huffed and crossed her arms. "Sometimes I wish I could just leave someone in my place…" She muttered. Blake raised an eyebrow.

"…Like a clone?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Kitsune's clones were able to act completely like he did and I couldn't tell the difference between him and the clone. Something like that would be so useful." Her clone would be able to do all the things she couldn't do or didn't want to. Like suffer through Yang! "…But my speed is still cooler! I'm still the fastest person ever. Not even Kitsune was able to match me fully!"

Weiss twitched. "…So…It's true then?" She asked quietly, gaining some confused looks.

"Uh…Is what true?" Ruby asked.

"Kitsune…really does have two semblances?" Weiss elaborated. She watched as all three of her teammates traded dubious glances before turning back to her.

"Um, yes?" Ruby answered.

Yang frowned. "Even if you somehow _haven't_ heard of him having two semblances, you were just sitting in that lesson too! How could you not have known that?"

The Schnee heiress waved a hand irritably. "Of course I've heard about it! I just…"

Blake quickly caught on to where this was going. "You didn't believe it, did you?" She asked. Ruby and Yang's eyebrows rose as Weiss scowled.

"How could I?!" Weiss demanded. "A single person with two semblances? That's impossible!" She had stubbornly ignored any and all reports that said otherwise in favor of her beliefs, instead choosing to simply doubt them. "There must be something else going on. Some form of deception to just make it _look_ like he has two semblances." She insisted.

Ruby shook her head with a frown. "Nope, it's really true. I can tell you that much."

"But…" Weiss began. That was impossible! "I don't believe it. There must be some piece of information missing. Something that would explain why it looks like he has two semblances."

Yang gave her an amused look. "Wow, you're pretty far into denial."

"No, I'm just thinking rationally!" Without another word, she turned on her heel and stalked off. Surprised at the abrupt exit, Ruby, Yang, and Blake traded looks before hurrying after her.

"Hey, what's the hurry?" Ruby asked.

Weiss didn't even bother to look her way as she answered. "There is no way for Kitsune to have two semblances. If it was possible, my family's company would have discovered it by now." She vividly remembered the chaos that ensued back home after Kitsune's debut. "So, as a person who thinks rationally, I'm going to look into this."

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "So, you're going to do…what?"

"First, I'm going to the library!" Yang and Ruby sent her dubious looks. "I'm going to do some of my own research on semblances and how they form. Some of the information in the school's library isn't available to me back home." No matter how big a company the Schnee Dust Company was, Beacon academy was still an extremely prestigious school with massive resources of its own.

"You actually think you're going to find anything new there that would explain away Kitsune's dual semblances?" Yang asked doubtfully. "People have been trying to figure out how it is possible for him to have two semblances for months. How are you going to find anything in the school's library?"

Weiss gave her an annoyed look. "Obviously, I'm not going to be able to solve it like this. I just want to see what information the library has that I didn't already know."

"Oh…And then what?"

"After that, I'm going to go over the information and test results that my family's company has. Maybe something there will be able to explain what is going on if I have this new information along with it."

Ruby tilted her head in thought. "Makes…sense?" She wasn't sure she understood what the big deal was. "Why don't you just send the information you are going to get now to the scientists working for your family's company?" Weiss frowned minutely.

"This is…just something I want to do on my own." She said quietly.

The other three members of team RWBY were silent for a moment, but Ruby soon grinned. "Alright then. Listen up, team RWBY! We have our second mission! And it isn't just decorating our room this time!" The older girls were surprised by her sudden excitement.

Eyeing her warily as they came to a stop outside the library, Weiss decided to tempt fate. "And that mission is…?"

"We are going to look into Kitsune's abilities and find out how he has two semblances!" Ruby didn't know why Weiss was so hung up on this, but it was obvious that this was something the white haired girl wanted to do. "After that, we are going to take him down!" She declared.

Yang smirked excitedly. "Kicking bad guy butt and saving the day? That sounds like fun. Count me in."

Blake sighed. Knowing what she did about Kitsune, she wasn't sure she could get behind this completely. But on the other hand, she knew Torchwick was a terrible person, so Kitsune willingly working with him made her think that she may have actually misjudged him. "…I don't know if this is a good idea, but I guess I'll help…"

Weiss stared at her team leader with wide eyes, but they soon narrowed. "Are you even listening to yourself? You're talking about going after a known criminal who is in league with _other_ known criminals. That's not something you can just say that you will fight."

Ruby and Yang waved their hands dismissively. "Psh. You worry too much!" Yang replied.

Nodding her head, Ruby spoke up. "Yeah! It'll be fine!" Before Weiss could say anything more, Ruby turned and rushed over to doors of the library. "Now come on! I bet I can find something useful first!" She ran inside.

"Hey, no fair!" Yang hurried after her. "You got a head start!" Blake sighed again, but followed after them. Weiss just stood there in disbelief at the antics of her team.

"That was…They just…Ugh!" She threw her hands up.

Did _anybody_ take things seriously around here?!

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 11!**

 **Another reason this chapter was so short was because there wasn't much to put in it.**

 **I feel somewhat annoyed about going the cliché route where Blake gets angry when someone insults the White Fang, but I can't deny that it is part of her character and it works.**

 **I don't know who. I don't know when. I don't even know how. But I** _ **do**_ **know that this chapter is going to come back to bite me in the ass at some point. Rooster Teeth will eventually pull something that makes it so someone has two semblances and completely derail everything I said in this chapter. Just watch, I'm calling it now. February 10, 2016 at 8:30 pm PST. You're all witnesses.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	12. Chapter 12

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 12!**

 **Happy Valentine's day!**

 **Ha! I said I would get it out this weekend and I totally did!**

 **So…How 'bout that last episode? I give it 2 days before Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer incorporates the stuff in it somehow…I would talk about it, but I know there are people here who read fanfiction when they haven't caught up to the series…**

 **So many fucking reviews that need responses…**

* * *

 **avidreaded: Yeah, if I had to guess who I think will get a dual semblance, it would either be him or Ruby.**

 **The Sorrowful Deity: I probably could, yeah, but it would still be a pain in the ass. And is really a good game? I've almost bought a couple of the latest Naruto games but never got around to it. The last one I bought was Clash of Ninja: Revolution for the Wii…**

 **Guest (1): I wouldn't say that…Just that he really enjoys it. His chapters are all pretty short at around 2k-4k words, which can actually be done in 3 hours if he can't get into that good of a pace. (At least, that's how it is for me)**

 **Guest (2): That is also a valid view.**

 **Guest (3): Yeah, that was intentional. I want to kind of elaborate on that at some point.**

 **the unsung hero: Someone who can follow directions! Finally!**

 **Chase Network: That's what I was thinking, yeah. But I wasn't sure if the powers of the maidens are considered as magic or a semblance and I didn't care enough to look it up. As for his own semblance, wouldn't that require aura?**

 **Monsieur La Critique: This is volume 1 still. And as far future plans… :P**

 **Mangahero18: I'd like to think that RWBY still has a few volumes left in it. I agree that it might change from Monty's original vision, but the writers are the same ones who do Red vs Blue. Granted, RvB has had multiple writers and directors over the years, but that can still happen to RWBY as well.**

 **Zachery: Thanks! I'll keep it up!**

 **Xillais: His age was literally word number 59 (I counted) in the first chapter. I then had people call him a kid or brat multiple times.**

 **luffyxrobin-luffyxnami: I could work on that sure, but how would he possibly find out that he has a wind affinity? He never even found out until Part 2 of the series when Kakashi gave him chakra paper. And I'll take the fact that my Kingdom Hearts story is better scripted as a compliment :P That one is easier because I had full control since the beginning. In this one, I'm working on tweaking characters from how they were in canon.**

 **Guest (4): How would he work on them? He doesn't exactly have another shinobi around to train him…And it isn't a problem, you have valid concerns. It's when people are being unreasonable that I get annoyed.**

 **Guest (5): Don't even worry about it. I hate it when people have some bullshit thing like that happen out of the blue.** _ **Maybe**_ **if there was good buildup to it and it made sense, but here? Not gonna happen.**

 **Guest (6): That's another thing I get ticked off about in other stories. So no worries, I don't plan on it. Unless I get** _ **super**_ **desperate, come to a big wave of writer's block, or I have some** _ **grand**_ **epiphany, no one from Naruto's world is joining in.**

 **bloodyhound17: Good call. I should probably get around to that.**

 **Ghostsixtwo6758: Rooster Teeth scripts fights in ways that make them fun to watch. There are so many times where Ruby's speed is unbeatable, but others where she is pretty much normal. I try to keep it constant, but I can't deny that unbeatable speed doesn't always make a good fight scene.**

 **A Fan1204: I feel too many people take the easy way out and make Naruto go to Beacon, so I wanted to do something different.**

 **Jiggly Joe: My only problems with Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer are how many of his chapters are short and how the grammar is sometimes subpar. However, because he has a lot of awesome ideas and he updates pretty much every day, those are understandable and forgivable…But a** **nother problem though is that a lot of his stories never get finished.**

 **korrd: I still don't think Cinder is that much of a viable choice for the pairing, but she is still winning the poll, so whatever. And do you honestly think I could get away with swaying Ruby over to the criminal side? That would take a** _ **lot**_ **of buildup if I didn't want to be burned alive through flames…**

 **Goretooth: Transformation is something that will come up later, clone is not even usable, and who says he hasn't used substitution? He's gotten stabbed a couple times, but a clone has died right? As for more blatantly…eventually. And using transformation in battle is available until I reveal the ability. His other skills just haven't been needed.**

 **Guest (7-12): I'm not changing his age.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

"Whoa!" Mercury leaned his body back into an uncomfortable looking angle to dodge the swipe of a glowing blue dagger. Rolling with the momentum, he quickly sprung back to his feet with a glare. "Hey, watch it! You almost took off my damn head!"

Naruto smirked. "This is a _spar_ , Merc. You know…Where two people fight each other?"

Off on the sidelines, Emerald snickered. "He's right, you know." Mercury's glare turned to her. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You're just pissed because you know it's true." Her expression turned even more amused. "And by the way…You lost."

Mercury's eyes widened before they snapped down to his pocket. Seeing nothing there, he looked over to Naruto and saw the blond holding up a blue handkerchief with his smirk growing. An identical one, except in red, was hanging out of Naruto's pocket. "You gotta keep up, Merc. You're just too slow." He teased.

"Tch. Whatever."

The three of them were given some time off by Cinder and they were just using it to relax and hang out in a way that they could all agree on…fighting each other with weapons. But actually aiming to harm each other could be considered as 'dangerous' so they designed this…game. The objective was simple, each participant had a handkerchief on their person. You had to not only protect your handkerchief, but also steal your opponent's. Naruto got the idea from the bell training back in Konoha.

Cerulean eyes turned to Emerald. "How about you, Emerald? You wanna have a go?"

Emerald was the one to smirk this time. "You may have beaten this idiot,"

"Hey!"

"but it will take more than that to beat the pickpocket master."

Naruto sweat dropped at that. "I don't know if that is something to say proudly, Em…" He got a shrug out of the green haired girl.

"Hey, I take pride in what I'm good at." She moved to take the blue handkerchief, but paused when Naruto's scroll suddenly started vibrating from its spot on a nearby chair. "Someone is calling you, Naruto."

Nodding, Naruto walked over to it and picked it up. "Yea-" A loud voice on the other end made him wince and pull it away from his ear. "Quiet! You nearly made me deaf!" He yelled. When the person did so, he put it back to his ear. "Jeez, was that really needed?" He listened for a second and smiled. "It's fine. So what's up?" He blinked and checked the time. "What, right now? Uh…Yeah, that's fine…Sure…" He grinned. "I'll head over now. See ya there." He hung up.

Mercury and Emerald walked up to him with curious looks. "Who was that?" Emerald asked.

"Just a friend." Naruto answered as he gathered his things. "I haven't seen her in person for a while and she is back in the city." He smiled sheepishly at them. "Sorry about this, but she called to see if I could meet up with her." Mercury crossed his arms and traded looks with Emerald.

"A friend?" Mercury began.

"Or a _friend?_ " Emerald finished. Both of them were grinning at him, despite the glare he had on his face.

"Just a friend." Naruto growled. Why did people keep on saying that? Not giving them a chance to say anything else, Naruto walked away.

* * *

 **City of Vale**

"Ruby, calm down!" Weiss ordered in annoyance. The leader of team RWBY was practically skipping down the street as they walked.

Ruby spun around and waved her arms around. "But I'm excited! I haven't seen my friend in person in forever! All it's been is texting and some calls!" Weiss huffed, but Yang tilted her head in thought.

"Hey, Ruby…" She began. "This friend wouldn't happen to be…" Lilac eyes widened in realization. "Oh, so that's what that call was about earlier?" Yang asked, getting a nod in return.

"Yeah. I called him to see if he was willing to meet us!"

Blake blinked at that. "Us?" She repeated. Realizing what Ruby said as well, Weiss crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, us." Ruby rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. "It only makes sense for my male best friend to meet my team!"

"And if we aren't interested in meeting this person?" Weiss asked.

"You don't have a choice!" Yang said happily. "He also happens to be my friend, so I'm looking forward to seeing him too!" She said. "So suck it up. And I'm expecting you to be _Weiss_ today." Dead silence. "Eh? Eh? What do you think?" The other members of the team traded dry looks.

"…No." Blake said.

"That was terrible." Weiss continued with some annoyance in her voice.

"As your sister, I'm embarrassed for you." Ruby finished.

Yang pouted and crossed her arms. They just didn't have her awesome sense of humor!

It was at that point that the group walked by an old man who was up on a ladder to raise a large banner. The banner had big letters on it, welcoming people to the city.

Weiss smiled at the sight and clasped her hands. "The Vtyal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Yang, still annoyed by the dismissal of her kickass joke, snorted.

"You smile because of something like this, but my joke doesn't get anything? Not even a little twitch of the lips?" She muttered, but the others still heard her.

"Yang, you gotta admit that it was pretty bad…" Ruby said, prompting Yang to turn her head away. Sighing at her _supposedly_ older sister's antics, Ruby looked to Weiss. "But I'm a little surprised, Weiss. You are a lot more enthusiastic about this than I thought you would be…"

"How could I not be?" Weiss turned to her. "An entire festival that's dedicated to the cultures of the world? And all the other events that are planned? All of the planning and organization needed to successfully create such an event is simply breathtaking!" The others traded looks.

"Right…" Yang said after a moment. " _That's_ what the exciting part of the festival is…" Weiss glared at her.

"Oh yeah? Then what do _you_ think is the exciting part?"

Yang smiled. "The parties? The parades? The people? The _tournament_?" Ruby nodded along with each of her suggestions. "There really must be something wrong with you if you think that the _planning_ is the best part.

"I never said that it was the best part!"

"No, but you _did_ say that it was the breathtaking part, Weiss." All four of them jumped at the unexpected voice standing next to them.

"Wha-" Weiss, Yang, and Blake all shot hands shot their weapons out of reflex, but they paused at the thing that happened next.

"Naruto!" A black and red blur sped by them and tackled the newcomer to the ground.

"Ow!"

Realizing that there was no threat, Yang and Blake relaxed, the former with a grin. Weiss on the other hand, stared dumbly at the boy who Ruby just sent to the ground.

"It's so good to see you!" Ruby said happily.

"That's nice and all, but maybe we can get off of the ground to talk?!"

Blinking, Ruby stared dumbly at him. When her mind caught up to what happened, she smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right…" She used her semblance to suddenly appear back on her feet. Acting just as quickly, she tugged Naruto to his feet. "Sorry about that…"

Naruto rolled his eyes, but an amused smile was playing on his lips. "You really are just an oversized puppy."

"No I'm not!"

"Right, right, of course you're not. My bad."

"Don't say that in that tone if you agree with me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm agreeing with you one hundred percent." Not giving her a chance to speak any further, Naruto looked to the rest of the team. "She's really the leader? I'm so sorry…"

"Hey!"

Yang sighed dramatically and raised a hand to her forehead in manner that made it look like she was about to faint. "It's hard, but we manage to pull through." Weiss was still staring at Naruto, while Blake was just being her usual quiet self.

"I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

"It gets easier to make her behave when we have cookies on hand." Ruby was simply alternating between shooting glares at Naruto and Yang.

"I'm not some poorly behaved pet!"

"Of course you're not." Yang and Naruto said together in the same tone that Naruto had just been using. Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but she never got the chance to.

"Wait just a minute!" All eyes turned to the member of the team dressed in white.

Yang quirked an eyebrow at the outburst. "Yeah?"

"How do _you two_ …" She pointed at Ruby and Yang. "Know Naruto?!" She thrust a finger at Naruto.

Not getting the problem, Ruby answered. "We've known Naruto since before Beacon." Silver eyes blinked at the implication. "Wait, _you_ know Naruto?"

Naruto grinned and walked over to Weiss. "Weiss and I are great friends!"

"Are not!"

"She was nice enough to show me how to use a certain type of weapon."

"After you _forced_ me to!"

"Don't pretend like you didn't have fun."

"I don't have to pretend because I _didn't_ have fun!" Weiss yelled. "Getting forced to teach someone you just ran into in a store how to use a weapon is _not_ my definition of fun!" She insisted. Naruto considered her words.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're shy?" Yang burst into laughter at this.

"I am not shy! You people just have no respect for personal boundaries!"

Ignoring her, Naruto turned to Blake. "Hi, my name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Don't ignore me!"

It was lucky that he spotted her walking with them before he announced his presence, otherwise he may have shown something more on his face in shock at her being there.

Blake nodded slowly. "…Blake Belladona." For some reason, there was something familiar about this boy…Her eyes trailed to his whisker marks, but she didn't say anything.

"I'm talking to you!"

Unhindered, Naruto grinned at Blake. "Nice to meet you." Still not paying attention to the fuming Weiss, Naruto looked over to Ruby. "So, what were you guys doing?"

Yang, extremely amused by the treatment of Weiss, answered. "We were going to meet you on our way to the docks…" Her smile faded. "Why are we heading to the docks again?" The eyes of team RWBY turned to Weiss, who huffed.

"Oh, nowyou can hear me?" She turned her head away. "I _suppose_ I should be the mature one here and forgive you for your rude behavior…" Naruto and Yang traded looks. "I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving today. And as students of the illustrious Beacon Academy, I feel that it is our _duty_ to welcome them with open arms to our splendid kingdom!"

Naruto couldn't help himself. "But aren't you from Atlas?" Yang grinned.

"That's not the point!"

Blake gave her a flat look. "You just want to spy on them so you can have the upper hand in the tournament."

Weiss scoffed. "You have no proof to your slanderous accusations, and I am hurt that you would insinuate such a thing." They all just stared at her. Even Ruby had a disbelieving expression. "…Shut up." She turned and stalked off, making the others follow.

As they walked by another street, something caught Ruby's eye. "Whoa." She whispered, gathering the attention of the rest of the group. Seeing what she was looking at, Naruto carefully controlled his expression.

"Ruby, let's just keep mov-" Not listening to him, Ruby walked up to the taped off dust shop.

"What happened?" She asked the detective as the others walked behind her.

"Robbery. This is the second dust shop that was hit this week."

Yang sighed. "That's terrible." Naruto frowned at this, but he wasn't the only one nearby who was doing so.

Another detective walked out of the destroyed doorway and over to his partner. "They left all the money. Again."

The first detective frowned. "So they really are after the dust…But who the heck needs that much dust in the first place?"

"At this point, they probably have enough for an entire army…" The partner replied. "So that could mean…"

"You thinkin' the White Fang?"

"I'm thinking we need a raise. I mean, come on. You heard how much Ramsey is making. The bastard was practically singing about it!" The second detective scowled. "Why don't we get that much? We all started together!"

"Probably 'cause he started some side division?"

"It's not like they do any real work!"

"No, but they also have to deal with the public a lot more than we do." They both grimaced. "Yeah, that's not something I would wanna put up with."

"Everybody's a fuckin' critic…"

Naruto tuned out the pointless conversation in favor of Weiss when she spoke up. "Hmph! The White Fang? Of course it would be them!" Both Naruto and Blake frowned at her.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Blake demanded. Off to the side, Yang and Ruby sighed.

"I've already told you what it means. The White Fang are nothing but trouble! Look what they did to this store!"

"You can't say it like everything bad is their fault! What proof do you have that they are the ones who did this?"

' _It_ wasn't _them.'_ Naruto thought silently. "She's right, Weiss." Blake was surprised by the help, but smiled. "You can't just assume that this was their fault. The detectives were only speculating on possible culprits. There is no proof that it was them."

Weiss glared and crossed her harms. "…Fine…" She allowed. "But it still could have been!"

Ruby piped up. "And it also could have been Torchwick. He's been stealing a lot of dust lately." Weiss gained a victorious look. "…What?"

"Roman Torchwick is a known partner to Kitsune." Naruto twitched, but it went unnoticed. "Kitsune has been seen working with the White Fang on occasion. Therefore, if Roman Torchwick was the one to do this, then the White Fang is also involved!" Blake did not look happy at this line of reasoning.

Naruto frowned. "You're forgetting something." All eyes turned to him. "Before Kitsune went rogue, he was an independent huntsman. Because of this, he could be classified as a type of mercenary. Who can say? Kitsune could just be getting paid to work with both Torchwick _and_ the White Fang, meaning that they may not necessarily be affiliated." The others considered his words. "I'd imagine that people would be willing to pay a lot of money for the help of someone with dual semblances."

Weiss scowled again. "You also think he has dual semblances?" She asked sharply.

"Uh…" What was with that tone? "Yeah? Doesn't he?"

Yang sighed. "We've been looking into it lately." Naruto blinked.

"You have?"

"Yeah. Weiss doesn't think that such a thing is possible." Yang answered.

"That's because I have the ability to _think_!"

"So she wanted to find a way to prove that Kitsune doesn't has two semblances. The rest of us just decided to help." Yang kept talking as if Weiss hadn't said anything.

Naruto wasn't sure that he liked where this was going. "And? What did you find?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Weiss said in annoyance. "We've been looking through all the available records from both the school library _and_ my family's company, but we _still_ couldn't find anything that says it is possible! So it doesn't make sense how Kitsune could have two!"

"Okay…Maybe he is just the first to find a way to?"

"What, like some kind of result from an experiment?" Weiss asked.

Frowning, Naruto shrugged. "I…guess?" That was an uncomfortable thought.

"Hmph. I think it's more likely that he is just fooling everybody into thinking that he has two." Weiss said firmly. "The Schnee Dust Company is one of the world's leading experts on the study of both dust and aura. If we haven't found out how to get a second semblance, then there is no way that some criminal has."

"Which brings us back to the next part." Ruby interjected with a grin. "Team RWBY is going to capture Kitsune and solve the mystery! Thereby also stopping his criminal activities."

Naruto's blood ran cold.

"You're going to…capture Kitsune?" He asked. Yellow eyes slid to Naruto at the subtle change in tone.

"Yeah!" Oblivious to Naruto's thoughts, Ruby nodded excitedly. "He needs to be stopped anyways. This way, he gets stopped _and_ we can get him to say how it happened! Isn't that a great idea?"

' _No, it isn't!'_ Naruto thought to himself. "I don't know…" He frowned. "You are talking about going after a criminal who may be allied with other criminals. And Kitsune himself is apparently really tough, regardless of whether or not his dual semblance abilities are faked in some way. This honestly sounds like a bad idea to me. You often lose to me when we spar, Ruby."

"Thank you! At least _someone_ here can think rationally!" Weiss proclaimed triumphantly. Whirling around at Ruby, she gestured towards Naruto. "Why can't you think like he is? Everything he has said has been completely rational!"

"But we can do it!" Ruby insisted. "I'm sure we can take down Kitsune if we work together! I mean, I fought him semi evenly the last time!"

' _That's because I didn't want to hurt you!'_ Naruto thought furiously. Admittedly, Naruto had to work really hard to beat her when they sparred, but that was when he was limited to just his speed and weapons! He had more fighting experience than she did, so he was able to win despite the handicap. "I really don't think that-"

"Hey, stop that Faunus!"

The group turned towards the dock and saw some of the sailors on a ship chasing after a teenager with a monkey tail. Without pausing, the teenager leapt over the side of the ship and down onto the pier.

The teen had tan skin, spiky light-blond hair, and dark grey eyes. He wore two red wrist bracers and a loose, open collared white jacket with no undershirt. The teen also had on blue cargo pants and bandages that were wrapped around his legs. His shoes were black and yellow and completing his look was a golden pendant with a monkey emblem.

"Thanks for the ride! You might wanna do something about those pests though!"

"You're one of them!"

"I resent that!" The teenager darted off towards the stairs.

"I don't give a crap, you no-good stowaway!"

The teen scoffed and made an incredulous face. "Excuse me? A _no_ -good stowaway? The only reason you knew I was there was because I was bored and wanted a little fun as I left! I'm the best stowaway!" He blinked when the two detectives from the dust shop ran to intercept him. "Uh oh."

The detective with a beard lunged at the teen, but missed when the Faunus jumped over him. The teen grinned and used the detective's back as a spring board to jump up the wall and skip the stairs to reach the city. "Hey!"

"Thanks for the lift! You're as nice as those sailors!"

"You stupid crook!"

The teen laughed as he ran, passing them as he made his escape. When he ran by, the teen's grin grew as he winked at Blake and raised a hand to imitate a phone while mouthing 'call me'. Naruto snorted in amusement at the sight and the teen ran around the corner to get away. A few moments later, the two detectives ran after him.

The five of them just stared dumbly in the direction they went in. "Well, that was entertaining." Yang said with a grin.

"He looked to be around the right age…" Ruby added. "You think that was the competition?"

Coming to the same conclusion, Weiss pointed a finger in the direction the teen ran in. "Quick! We have to observe him!"

"So you're not even going to pretend that you only want to welcome him to the kingdom anymore?" Blake asked.

"Shut up and move!"

Not knowing what was going on, Naruto shrugged and ran with them. "What do you mean by 'observe' him?" He asked.

Yang glanced over to the younger blond. "You know about the Vytal festival tournament?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well, Weiss here wants to get a head start on the competition by spying on them."

"I do not!"

Naruto quickly caught on. "Oh, and you're thinking that guy who just ran from the detectives is one of the competitors from another school?"

"Pretty much." They rounded the corner and saw the detectives running up ahead. "So that's why we are chasing after him! Weiss is fixed on knowing everything she can about her opponents."

"Ugh! I keep saying that isn't tru-Ah!" Weiss was unable to finish her sentence when she turned a corner and promptly ran into someone, sending the both of them to the ground. The Schnee heiress snapped her head back up just in time to see the teenager they were chasing jump onto a fire escape and then onto the roof of a building to escape. "No! He got away!"

"Hey, Weiss…We can worry about that later. For now, shouldn't you get up and off of the person you basically just attacked?" Naruto asked, but he blinked when he saw who it was. _'Oh, Penny should be fine.'_ He knew it would take more than that to hurt her.

Gasping, Weiss jumped to her feet. "Oh, I am so sorry!" She gushed.

Instead of getting up, Penny just smiled at them. "Salutations!"

They traded looks. "Um…Hi?" Ruby had to admit she was a bit confused by the fact that the girl had chosen greeting them in favor of getting up, but maybe it was some kind of quirk?

Naruto sighed while fighting down a smile. "Hi there." He walked up to her and offered a hand. "Let me help you."

Penny's smile widened as she accepted the help. "Thank you for the assistance!"

"Not a problem. We're sorry for knocking you down like that." Naruto took a step back and gestured to the others. "Going from left to right, these are Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang." He the pointed a thumb towards himself. "And my name is Naruto."

"My name is Penny! It is a pleasure to meet you!"

Yang leaned in closer to Blake. "There's something wrong with this one…" Blake responded with an elbow in her side. "I mean, nice to meet you too!"

Weiss was rapidly growing impatient with the situation. "I'm really sorry for running into you, but we must be on our way." She grabbed the back of Ruby's top and began pulling her away.

"Why are you grabbing just me?!"

"Because _you're_ the one that needs watching or you will get into trouble." Naruto smirked at the sight and moved to follow after waving goodbye to Penny. Also amused, Yang trailed them, making Blake walk after them.

"But you're the one that just knocked a person over!" Sighing, Ruby waved back to Penny. "Take care, friend!" Naruto's eyes widened when she said this. Turning to Penny, he saw that she had already disappeared.

"Now then…Where did that no-good stowaway go?"

"I'm pretty sure it was already established he was a good on-Whoa!" Naruto's head whirled back around to see that Penny had sped to the spot right in front of the group. "Uh…Hi again?" Yang offered.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked.

"W-What?"

"Not you." Penny walked through the group and up to Ruby. "You." Wide silver eyes stared back at the orange haired girl.

"I'm sorry?"

Penny grasped Ruby's hands within her own and leaned in close, making Ruby lean back. "You called me a friend! Can I really be your friend?"

"Uh…" Ruby looked nervous at the sudden question and proximity. Looking over Penny's shoulder, she saw the other members of her team gesturing for her to say no.

"Sure you are!" All eyes turned to a grinning Naruto. "You seem nice. So I wouldn't mind being your friend!" The three older members of team RWBY stared at him in disbelief.

Spurred on by Naruto's words, Ruby nodded with a smile. "Yeah. We can absolutely be friends!" Penny grinned brightly at the two of them and laughed.

"Sensational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Both Naruto and Ruby made a face at this, but only Naruto's face looked slightly sick.

"Oh, is that what I was like?" Ruby whispered to Weiss.

"No, you were more of a spaz."

Penny blinked and turned to Naruto. "Oh, I guess a boy would not want to do those things…" Naruto was relieved that she was able to come to that conclusion. "Maybe we could spar?" The others were surprised by this. "My first friend is a boy and we…spar whenever we meet." She smiled as she mentioned the friend.

Naruto had a smile of his own. He and Penny had crossed paths a couple of times after their first meeting on the boat, and every time they would 'spar'. Basically, Naruto did his best to run interference while buying time for whatever heist or mission he was to finish while Penny attempted to subdue him. She had almost managed to catch him once or twice, but he always managed to get away with some quick diversion in the form of clones or catching her off guard.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that." He had some doubt that he would be able to beat her when using clones would give him away, but Naruto was still willing.

Weiss frowned. While she has never actually seen Naruto fight, the fact that he could beat Ruby in a spar meant he was skilled enough. But this strange girl… "You can fight?" She asked skeptically.

Not noticing the skepticism, Penny nodded with a salute. "I'm combat ready!" The white haired girl crossed her arms and took in Penny's appearance again.

"…I'm sorry, but I find some difficulty believing that…"

Naruto snickered, earning an irritated look from Weiss. "Says the girl wearing a dress." Yang joined him in his snickering.

"It's a combat skirt!"

"And all the guys thank you for the free service." Naruto ignored the affronted gasp from Weiss, the coloring of Ruby's face as she tugged on her skirt, and the loud laugh from Yang, instead choosing to walk over to Penny and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't judge a book by its cover. If you didn't know her, would you think that someone like Ruby swung around a giant sniper scythe?" Weiss glared at him. "Didn't think so." He stuck his tongue out at her.

Penny nodded. "I agree with this statement! If you need further proof, then it may help you to know that I have fought evenly with Kitsune on more than one occasion. We often end our fights in a draw." This declaration wiped off any and all smiles on Naruto and Yang's faces. Penny blinked in confusion and tilted her head when all eyes turned to her. "Did I say something wrong?"

It took a lot of self-control on Naruto's part to prevent himself from groaning as he removed his hand. _'I was hoping we wouldn't come back to this topic…'_

Weiss stalked up to Penny, who was confused at the strange behavior. " _You_ have fought with Kitsune? To a draw?"

"That is correct!" Penny confirmed. "I come across him on occasion while he is aiding in a robbery or some similar misdeed, so I engage him in combat." She was authorized to say that much, but she couldn't say that it was her mission to capture him. There was already no hiding the fact that she fought him from the other people that have seen them do so.

Pale hands shot to Penny's shoulders, the owner gaining a dangerous glint in her eyes. "You _must_ tell me everything you know about Kitsune." Weiss said quietly.

Considering the request/order, Penny soon had her answer. "I am sorry, but I cannot do that." Surprise rippled through the others, but Naruto had a feeling that he knew the reason she said no.

"Why not?!"

"You do not have clearance for that information, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss frowned and took a step back. She warily looked Penny over again. "…We never gave you my surname."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Every other time you expect for the person you just met to automatically know who you are. Why do you react like that the one time they _do_ know?" She asked in exasperation.

"It is a fairly obvious conclusion." Penny informed. "Based on the physical traits such as hair and eye color, as well as the Schnee crest on your back, your lineage was simple to ascertain."

"Oh…" Weiss shook her head. "Don't change the subject!"

' _You're the one who did.'_

"Why can't you tell me about Kitsune?!"

"I have already informed you that you do not have clearance for that information."

Blake frowned and crossed her arms. "You keep saying 'clearance'" She observed. "Does that means that someone high up is keeping a lid on that information?" She sighed. "I guess that would make sense…"

Weiss scowled. "But why would _you_ have the clearance for the information? And why have you fought Kitsune when he appears in the first place?"

"I am sorry, but that is prohibited information as well."

"Ugh!" Weiss turned away with a huff. "Fine then! Keep your secrets!" She would just figure the information on her own!

"Um…" Ruby was uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had turned and way the atmosphere had changed, so she was trying to change. "So, Penny…What are you doing in Vale anyways? I don't recognize you from Beacon or anything…Or are you just here for Kitsune?"

Penny shook her head with a smile. "I am also here to fight in the tournament!" Just like half of the other statements that came out of her mouth, her words surprised the others.

"You are?!"

"Yes!" Penny smiled at Weiss as the heiress pulled out a paper and began quickly drawing on it.

"Then do you know about this hoodlum?" She waved the poor excuse of a drawing in front of Penny. "This filthy Faunus stowed away on a boat!"

Both Blake _and_ Naruto scowled at her description. "Why do you keep saying that?!"

"Huh?" Weiss turned towards Blake.

Blake walked up to Weiss. "Why do you keep talking about him like that? Why do you keep talking like he is an animal? He's a person too!"

Weiss scoffed and gestured to a nearby trashcan. "Oh, I am _so_ sorry. Should I ask the trashcan for permission to call it dirty?" She pointed to a lamppost. "Or how about that lamppost? Do you think it gets offended when I point out that all it's good for is lighting?"

"Stop it!"

"What is there to stop? He has already proven himself to be a criminal. Give him some time and I'm sure he'll join up with the White Fang!"

"You are such an ignorant little brat!" Blake spun around and began to walk away, Weiss soon following after her. Unnoticed to all, Penny took this chance to leave.

"How dare you say that! You have no basis for to say such a thing! I have yet to see a Faunus that actually deserves to be called a person!"

" _Hey_!" They all froze and turned to Naruto, who was sending Weiss one of the angriest glares she had ever seen. Each of them were surprised to see the boy with such an angry expression on his face. "I don't care if you don't like the White Fang, that's not a surprise given who you are, but _don't_ go acting like all Faunus are the same and want humanity to suffer!"

Weiss quickly recovered and walked up to Naruto. "What do you know? You're just a kid who isn't even old enough to get into Beacon!"

Naruto stared back defiantly. "So? What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that you haven't seen how the real world is!"

A scoff escaped Naruto. "And _you_ have?" He asked incredulously. "I bet I've already seen more of it that you have." Not giving her a chance to speak, he continued. "All you've done so far in life is sit in your mansion with private tutors and a sheltered life where all you have to do is ask daddy to get what you want!" Weiss' glare turned glacial.

"You…You…" Neither Ruby nor Yang looked sure of what to do, but Blake nodded in agreement with Naruto's words.

"What the hell do you know about things that people are forced to do in order to get by?" Naruto demanded. "What the hell do you know about how _far_ people are willing to go to make a difference?" He balled a fist. "I'm sorry for bringing up your home life when I have no idea what it was really like for you, but at least you have a damn home to go back to!" Weiss flinched.

"There are people out there, in this _very city_ , who don't have that much. Those are the people who turn to crime because they don't have a choice." He turned to Blake. "And you, don't go acting like the White Fang are heroes, because they aren't." She was shocked at his words. "Just like the one extreme of the spectrum where the White Fang is completely bad is incorrect, the side that says they are good is just as wrong. _Life_ _isn't that simple_."

"Weiss is absolutely right. The White Fang _is_ a terrorist organization; you can't deny that." Blake opened her mouth with a glare, but Naruto cut her off. "They are, Blake!" He had to restrain himself from saying that she was biased. It was clear to him that, for whatever reason, she hadn't shared her past _or_ her Faunus heritage with the rest of her team. "They have their reasons, but they are still terrorists!" He did his best to push down the voice in his head that told him he was the same as them.

He glared at Weiss again. "And while _that_ is true, so is the fact that the Faunus aren't the only ones that are criminals." Weiss looked taken aback at this. "I'll grant that the White Fang is a big organization, but there are still people like Roman Torchwick running around! A human!" She looked away. "So don't go acting like the Faunus are the only ones in the wrong here!"

"I have no doubt that there are some sick monsters who do what they do because they get a kick out of it or because they are selfish, but don't act like they are all the same!" His rage was building at this point. "The world isn't split between black and white! Everyonehas a reason for what they do! Even Kitsune must have a reason!"

Weiss was getting fed up at this point. "There isn't an excuse for hurting those around them to make yourself better off! If what you said about him being a mercenary is true, then he is just doing this for money! He's the worst of the worst! And if you think in the way you just said, then you are as bad as him and the trash he works with! Both Torchwick and the White Fang! As bad as the trash that kill innocent people!"

"Weiss!" Yang yelled. How could she say that?! Weiss flinched as her words caught up to her mind.

Something in Naruto snapped.

New waves of rage crashed through him, and it took Naruto every ounce of self-control to prevent himself from lashing out at Weiss. Lowering his head, his hair shadowed his eyes as he worked to push down his anger.

" _Everyone_ has a reason…" Naruto growled before pushing past her. He turned and began to make his way to leave.

As he walked by Blake, her eyes widened.

"Naruto…" Ruby said quietly as she stepped towards him, but he blurred away before she could say anything more or reach him. "Wait!" What should she do? She could still catch up to him, but what about her team? Blake and Weiss were still in angry at each other and now Yang was also mad!

Yang growled and walked up to Weiss as her eyes flashed red. "How could you say something like that?"

"I…" Weiss hesitated, but she soon regained herself. Crossing her arms, she spoke up. "I-I didn't say anything that wasn't the truth." She said defiantly.

"You just accused a thirteen-year-old of being as bad as some of the worst criminals around!" Weiss flinched at Yang's words.

"…"

"Ah!" Yang threw up her hands and stormed off.

"Yang!" Ruby called in worry. "Where are you going?!"

" _I'm_ going back to Beacon!" Yang would have gone after Naruto, but she thought it would be better if he had some time to cool off. "I've had enough of Vale for one day!"

"But…" Ruby whispered while looking between the direction Naruto went in, Yang, and her other teammates.

Blake nodded. "I'm tired. I'm going back too." She said before walking away.

"Hmph." Weiss huffed before walking off as well.

Ruby was standing there helplessly as she watched her team fall apart. "Oh…"

Unknown to all of them, Blake's mind was going into overdrive as she thought back to Naruto's last few moments with him. _'Those eyes…'_ There was no doubting it.

Those were the same red eyes Kitsune had when he got angry.

* * *

 **Nearby Forest**

' _Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn._ Damn! _'_ Naruto mercilessly cut through the Grimm that were foolish enough to approach him. The waves of anger he was giving off attracted a large amount of them to his location.

How could she say that? Him? As bad as the worst of the worst? As bad as _Adam Taurus_? He slashed another Beowolf. Naruto had seen firsthand the thing that was Adam Taurus. That was one of the few people Naruto had met that he questioned on occasion if they deserved to be called a person. The man was a _monster_.

And then there was Roman! Naruto had no trouble admitting Roman was a piece of shit, but none of the people in Cinder's group were on the level of being the absolute scum of the world. They were fighting to change things! That was why he joined them! How could Weiss say that?! He stabbed another Grimm.

But…There was still a small voice in his head that said that he should be wary of criminals. That he still wasn't sure of the endgame.

Who _could_ he trust? He _will_ change things, that was a fact…But was he doing it the right way?

Naruto growled in frustration, and it was soon echoed by the growl of a Grimm before it charged at him. "You're so fucking annoying!" He flipped over the Grimm and lashed out at the right moment, depriving it of its head. Naruto landed on his feet and took a glance around. The entire area was full of the fading bodies of Grimm.

Suddenly, a slow clap alerted Naruto that he wasn't alone. Whirling around, he slid into a battle stance with a scowl, but he paused when he saw Cinder standing there with a smile. "That was a _wonderful_ performance, Naruto…"

Scowling a little bit less, Naruto got out of his battle stance and put his daggers away. "What are you doing here?" He asked irritably.

She quirked an eyebrow. "I was worried about you."

He snorted and turned away. "Sure."

"…I really was worried about you." She said quietly. Cinder walked closer to him, but he didn't look her way. "Did something happen while you were in the city?" She asked. "Emerald told me that you were going to meet a friend."

Naruto's face darkened. "Nothing happened."

She smiled gently. "I'm not too sure about that…" She said. "You know I've told you that you can come to me if you want to talk…After all, I'm your frien-"

"Are you?!" Naruto's head snapped back towards her. "Are you really my friend?"

Cinder took in his glowing red eyes, but didn't comment on them. "Of course I am, Naruto. How could you say that?"

"Tch." He turned and began to walk away.

"After all, I know how dark you are, and yet I'm still here." Naruto froze.

"…What?"

"I have helped you ever since you arrived in the city. I've been with you every step of the way. From the boy on the streets who was being persecuted for something that was beyond his control to the person in front of me who is angry that someone has wronged him again, I have never rejected you."

"…"

"I gave you a place to stay and a way to pay off what you felt you owed. I welcomed you home every time you came back from a mission. I never hesitated to tell you that I was there for you. I have been working with you to change things…I didn't condemn you when you killed that police officer out of anger. We have both committed crimes that we are not proud of."

"I…"

Cinder walked up to Naruto and gently placed a hand under his chin to make him look into her eyes. "It hurts that you question my honesty to you, Naruto…Have I ever done something to make you question my sincerity?" Red eyes were slowly fading back to cerulean.

"N-No…"

"Of course not…I understand why you do what you do, why you became a criminal. You and I both know that this is the only _real_ way to change things. Those friends you have are naïve. They do not understand how the world _really_ works…" She caressed his cheek, soft smile still in place.

"But we do." She said quietly.

"We…do…?"

She nodded. "Yes, we do…And it is because we both understand how the world works that we do what others do not want to. There are losses in every battle…That is a very sad, but also very true fact…" She whispered. "Those other friends do not know, so they cannot possibly understand…So please, don't let them make your views of me waver." Her smile grew as her eye glowed. "All right?"

Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. After a few seconds, he nodded with a smile.

"All right…Sorry for doubting you, Cinder."

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 12!**

 **Just realized I hadn't been meeting the "shitty pun" quota for Yang. I guess I should do that every once in a while…**

 **I don't like going word for word when I'm using a scene from canon, so I often paraphrase or alter the conversation a bit, just to make it a bit more interesting to read.**

 **Hey, I think Weiss is awesome, but you have to agree that she** _ **was**_ **pretty racist at this point.**

 **I know it may not look like it a lot of the time, but I really _do_ have some form of plot line in mind, so fuck off, haters.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	13. Chapter 13

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 13!**

 **So…Wtf happened? Was it something I did? Did I send out some subliminal message in the last chapter? How the hell did that chapter get** _ **50**_ **fucking reviews within the span of 24 hours?! The average for a chapter after a week is like 30 or something! Chapter 12 now has the most reviews for a single chapter. That's…great?**

 _ **However,**_ **this also helped me come to a conclusion (Which I was glad to get a second opinion on). I had been noticing it a lot recently (Especially in the previous chapter), but the review responses are pretty long. The ones in the last chapter totaled to around 700 words…That is** _ **way**_ **too much. So I have decided that it would be best if I do not do that anymore. I will answer general questions if enough people ask them, but I won't respond to every review that needs one anymore…Sorry.**

 _ **But**_ **you may also be curious to know that I have added something to my profile. That's right, Embers of a Shinobi now has a "Fucking Annoying Questions" section! Otherwise known as a "F.A.Q." section! Isn't that great? The questions include things like what's up with Kurama and whether or not I will give Naruto a semblance. If I think of something that should be on there, I'll add it and announce it here. Go check it out!**

 **I planned on getting this out earlier in the day, but something came up.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

Silver eyes glanced between the two feuding members of the team nervously. Neither Blake nor Weiss had said a word since the argument in Vale…Which was _hours_ ago, and although Yang had said a few things, she still had a scowl plastered on her face. Each of them were sitting on their bed and refusing to look at one another. Weiss was reading something on her scroll with a scowl, Yang doing the same with an identical scowl, and Blake was…staring out the window?

The fearless leader of team RWBY was seriously worried for the future of her team. The argument between Weiss and Blake wasn't new or anything, they had been fighting over that very subject for weeks, but it had never gotten thatbad before…It had always been some words, maybe some raised voices, _never_ shouting in the street about terrorists and scum of the world…To throwing around accusations about being as bad as that scum.

Ruby's heart constricted at the memory of Naruto running away from them after Weiss lost her temper.

Although she was undeniably angry at Weiss for what she said to him, Ruby also tried to put herself into Weiss' place. The Schnee heiress want exactly quiet about her…irritation with the White Fang, so they have all heard multiple times about why Weiss didn't like them. But to imply that Naruto was as bad as them and the other criminals?

She had tried calling him on his scroll, but he just wasn't picking up. Even after she called repeatedly hours after he left, he never answered. He didn't even answer any of her messages! Ruby was worried for her team, but she was also worried for her friend.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips. _'This whole day has turned into one big me-'_

"Ruby."

"Eep!" Ruby jumped a bit before blushing in embarrassment over her overreaction to Blake saying her name. Doing her best to gather her remaining dignity and act like it didn't happen, she looked to Blake, who was staring at her with a quirked eyebrow. "Y-yeah?"

Deciding to go along with Ruby's silent request, Blake didn't comment on the startle. "I was wondering…How long have you known Naruto?" From their spots on their beds, Yang's scowl darkened while a small look of regret flash across Weiss' face.

"Naruto?" Ruby asked, getting a nod in return. Her face scrunched up in thought. "Um…A few months, I guess? I'm not exactly sure how long it's been, but I definitely met him a couple of months before we started school here…So I guess four or five months?"

Blake nodded and looked over to Yang. "And what about you?"

Yang's scowl softened slightly as she considered the question. "I met Naruto about a month after Ruby did, I think…"

"Alright…" That could fit in around the time that Kitsune first appeared, but it didn't confirm anything. "Ruby, you said that you have sparred with Naruto a few times, right? And that he often wins?" A hesitant nod. "How does he do that? You're someone who has gone to Signal, and although you didn't graduate, you were allowed early access to Beacon. I can't imagine that him winning is normal, so does that mean he knows what his semblance is and is able to use it in combat?" She thought about the way Naruto left. "Does he…have a speed semblance?"

Ruby wasn't sure why Blake was asking, but she still nodded her head. "Yeah, he does. Naruto's semblance also gives him speed."

' _That gives credit to my theory…'_ Blake thought. "Is that so…Do you mind if I ask you something else?"

"That's fine…"

"I noticed that he has these…whisker marks on his cheeks. Do you know what they are? Are they birthmarks? Tattoos?" Off to the side, Weiss glanced over for a moment before quickly looking away again. That was something she has also wondered, but never asked about.

Ruby frowned slightly in thought. "Uh, I don't think so? I never really asked about them, so I'm not sure ab-"

"They're birthmarks." All eyes turned to Yang. "Those whisker marks on his face are birthmarks."

"They are?" Ruby asked in surprise. "How do you know?"

"I know because I asked them about it." Well, she had made a joke that little kids shouldn't get tattoos, but they didn't need to know the specifics. "He said he has always had them." Yang's eyes moved to Blake. "Are you implying…?" She trailed off.

Knowing what she meant, Blake shook her head. "I can't be sure without asking, but it's possible."

Not one for implications and hidden meanings, Ruby was having trouble understanding what they were getting at. "What? What are you talking about? So what if Naruto's whisker marks are birthmarks or not?"

Blake glanced back to her. "I'm asking because…I think it is possible that Naruto is a Faunus." Silver eyes widened. "Like I said, I can't be sure without asking. There is always the off chance that the whisker marks are just some very unique birthmarks and he is a human. But…" She hesitated.

"His being a Faunus would explain why he doesn't believe the White Fang is completely bad." They were _all_ caught off guard by Weiss' sudden input. "But that doesn't explain why he would say those other things. Wouldn't he agree with the White Fang?"

Her words brought a scowl back to Yang's face. "We don't know for sure if he is a Faunus. But even if he _was,_ that doesn't mean that he has to agree with the White Fang." Blake was given a suspicious look by Yang. "Why do you want to know?"

"…" What should she say? Would telling them her suspicions be a good idea? "I am just…trying to understand his reasoning." Blake said after a moment. For now, she would keep it to herself.

Yang didn't look like she quite believed her, but she still relented.

"Hmph." The attention of the room gathered on Weiss. "It wouldn't surprise me any if he _is_ sympathetic to the White Fang because he is a Faunus."

Blake turned to her. "And would you care to elaborate on that?" A bad feeling was pooling in Ruby's stomach again.

"Oh sure. I just mean that it would make sense that he is sympathetic with those criminals if he was a Faunus!"

' _Oh no…'_ Ruby did _not_ want them to start up again…

The glare on Blake's face darkened. "In case you don't remember, Naruto also brought up the valid point that the White Fang isn't the only ones in the wrong! There are reasons people think that they are in the right! They just do what they do because they were forcedto!"

"Forced to?" Weiss echoed incredulously. " _Forced_?! How is anyone _forced_ to agree with or become a terrorist?!"

"Weiss…" Yang began dangerously. She didn't want tempers to reach the point that it had in the city.

"No!" Weiss walked over to the window. "You want to know why I don't like the White Fang? Naruto hinted at it, but I'll spell it out for you…For years, the White Fang has been committing crimes against my family, to the point that it can be called a war." She closed her eyes. "Complete with all the bloodshed that comes with a war." Her shoulders shook. "Friends, family, loved ones in all forms were taken from me because of it…" She spun around and glared at Blake. "So excuse me if I have some trust issues when it comes to a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we wouldn't have done that if your family hadn't pushed us to it first!"

Dead silence.

Blake's eyes widen in alarm as she realized what she just let slip. "N-No…I…" Her eyes darted between the stunned expressions in the room. "I…" Without any further words, she whirled around and dashed out the door.

Ruby was the first to regain herself. "Blake!"

* * *

 **City of Vale (Two Days Later)**

"Blaaaaaake!" Ruby shouted. She, Yang, and Weiss were walking down the street in search of their wayward teammate.

"Blake!" After calling her partner's name, Yang paused. "Narutooo!" Both Ruby and Weiss paused and gave Yang confused looks. Seeing the looks, Yang frowned. "What? We also haven't seen him since Friday. And just like Blake, he isn't answering any calls.

Nodding in understanding, Ruby joined in. "Narutooo! Blaaaake!" She shot Weiss a dirty look. "Weiiiisss, why aren't you helping?!"

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't see any reason why I should. Blake has been effectively lying to us this entire time!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and continued walking down the street. "No she hasn't."

"How do you figure that?!"

"Well…" Ruby began. "It's not like we ever _asked_ her if she was a member of the White Fang." Weiss scowled at the reasoning.

Yang followed up after her sister. "And I agree with what Naruto said." They looked to her. "We should find out _why_ Blake was a part of the White Fang before we come to any conclusions."

"Reasons or not, she was still a member of a terrorist organization!" Weiss insisted.

"Member or not, she is still our friend!" Yang threw back.

Weiss clenched a fist before rounding on Ruby. "What do you think?"

"M-Me?" Weiss' demand caught both Ruby and Weiss off guard.

"Yes, you." Weiss confirmed. "When I asked you what you would do with Kitsune, you said he was a bad guy, so you would capture him regardless of his reason." Ruby's eyes widened in alarm. "What about now? Now that you know that Blake was a member of the White Fang, will you stand by that? Or are you going to treat her differently because you think you know her?"

"I-I, uh…Blake…" Ruby's mind was a mess. She _did_ say Kitsune was a bad guy for working with the White Fang, but this was Blake! Her teammate! The B of RWBY! _'What do I do?'_ Blake was a member of the White Fang, but she left! But does that matter? She was still a part of it! Should she listen to Blake's side of the story and go from there? No wait, it wouldn't change the fact that Blake was still a participant! Ruby's thoughts came to a halt when long, golden hair stepped into her field of vision. "Y-Yang…"

Yang glared at Weiss. "Don't ask her that."

Weiss returned the glare. "She needs to answer! Is she going to change her mind just because it is a friend this time?!" Ruby looked down to the ground.

"You-"

"What seems the problem here?"

"Whoa!" None of them noticed Penny appear. "When did you get there?!" Yang asked in shock.

Penny tilted her head at the question. "I arrived only moments ago. The noise levels drew my attention." She informed. "Is there something wrong?"

Thankful for the distraction, Ruby answered. "We were just looking for our teammate, Blake…and Naruto."

"Oh, where are they?"

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "We don't know. They have been missing since Friday and won't answer any of our calls." Penny gasped.

"Oh, that is terrible!" She walked up to Ruby and grasped her hands. "Don't worry, Ruby! I'll help you find them! After all, Blake is your teammate and Naruto is my friend!"

"Uh, thanks, Penny…" Ruby did her best to think of a way out of the situation. "But…we're fine…Right guys?" She glanced over to where Weiss and Yang _were_ standing. "…"

Penny tilted her head again. "Do you have friends that I am unable to see?"

* * *

 **Different Location in the City**

Sun had his hands behind his head as he and Blake walked down the street. Glancing over to Blake, he spoke up. "So…what now?"

Blake took on a thoughtful look. "Two things. I…I'm still not so sure that the White Fang is behind all of these thefts lately. Those detectives the other day seemed to think so, but the White Fang has never needed that much dust before."

"Hm…" Sun nodded. "Fair enough, but…what if they _did_?" She shot him a confused look. "Think about it, the only way to find out for sure would be to see for ourselves who has been stealing all the dust, right?" A hesitant nod. "Then that's what we should do!"

"It makes sense…" Blake allowed. "But how do we do that?"

Her question got a grin out of the blond teen. "I just happen to have an idea~" Blake rolled her eyes at his attitude. "While I was…hitching a ride on the ship, I overheard some guys talking about a big shipment of dust that was coming in."

"How big?"

He gestured with his hands. " _Big_. As in, Schnee Dust Company freighter big."

She nodded slowly. "That…That could work."

Sun smirked and put his hands back behind his head. "I figured as much." He said smugly. "And the other thing?" Blake blinked, not understanding what he meant. "You said that you had something else you wanted to do?"

"Oh." Blake frowned. "I…want to speak with Kitsune." She declared.

"Okay. Why don't you just do it?" She stopped walking and stared at him. "What?" Blake sighed in realization of what was going on.

"You…don't know who that is, do you?" Sun smiled sheepishly. "Kitsune is a local rogue huntsman who is known for having dual semblances." That stopped Sun in his tracks.

"Dual semblances?" He repeated. "You're serious?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. No one knows how he does it, but he has shown both the ability to create clones and move at extreme speeds."

Sun whistled lowly. "That's amazing…" He frowned. "But…Why do you want to talk to him? And what does he have to do with the White Fang?"

"Just before I left the White Fang, I met him. He and some other people I didn't see were meeting with the White Fang in order to work out some kind of alliance." Blake informed.

"Alright…And?"

"And…I learned that he became a criminal because of something that happened here a while back." At his look, she explained. "I'll just tell you the basics. There was an accident that caused a large amount of Grimm to be let loose in a public park. In total, ten people died, three adults and seven children." Sun's eyes hardened. "Each of them was a Faunus. Apparently, Kitsune was at the park that day."

The two walked in silence for a few moments, but it was eventually broken by Sun's sigh. "I get it. He is angry at himself for not being able to do more, but he is also angry because it was clear that racism played a part in the reason that those people died…" She nodded. "But what does that have to do with you?"

Blake bit her lip. "I…I don't really know." She said quietly.

"You don't know…?"

"No. When I met him, he seemed sincere with his intentions, but…How does working with people like Roman Torchwick help? And as much as I want to deny it, the White Fang does sometimes take things too far…It's the whole reason that I left in the first place."

Sun quirked an eyebrow. "So you wanna what? Figure out more of his reasons?" She shrugged. "Well…" Sun's face split into a wide grin. "Then I guess we better make sure that we find him!" Blake blinked in surprise, but a small smile soon formed on her face.

"Yeah."

* * *

 **Warehouse**

Naruto was sitting off to the side and double checking his gunblade in preparation for the heist he was about to join. Footsteps approached from behind him, but he didn't look to see who it was. "So, kid…You ready for this?" Naruto nodded absently.

"Almost. I just need to finish this really quick and then I will be."

"Tsk Tsk Tsk. You better hurry up~ It wouldn't do to be held back because we had to wait on you." Naruto rolled his eyes at this.

"Well _maybe_ if a certain wannabe mobster wasn't holding me up, I would be done."

Roman adopted an affronted expression. "How dare you! A _wannabe_ mobster? I'm nothing less than _the_ mobs-"

"Roman." His mouth clicked shut at Cinder's sudden appearance. "I would appreciate it if you allowed Naruto to finish checking over his weapon…" She raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should do the same?"

"Ehehe…" Roman glanced around nervously. "Right, right…That sounds like a great idea. I'll get right on that…Somewhere else!" He quickly left the scene, but not before his eye twitched when he saw Naruto sticking a tongue out at him. "Stupid brat…" He muttered.

Once he was gone, Cinder turned to Naruto. "Are you sure that you want to participate?" She asked. "I'm sure that Roman will be able to handle this on his own…"

Naruto smiled at her worry and shook his head. "No, it's fine. I've been getting restless that past few days, so I'm looking forward to a chance to get out."

Cinder smiled back. "Well, if you're sure…"

"I am."

"…And what will you do if there are any…complications?"

He stayed quiet for a minute, but he soon answered. "…Then I'll be sure to do what's needed."

"Very well then. You should be leaving soon, so finish up here." Cinder turned away, a ghost of a smirk on her lips.

* * *

 **Shipyard (That Night)**

"So…Nice weather we're having, eh?" Blake shot Sun a flat look. "Okay, so that was a little weak…"

She shook her head. "We've been here for hours with nothing exciting happening. Maybe we were wrong?"

Sun frowned and looked back towards the Schnee Dust Company crates piled nearby. "There is still plenty of time for them to show up, just relax." He held an apple out to her. "Here, have an apple."

Blake eyed the fruit. "…Where did you get that?"

"Uh…" He averted his eyes.

"Did you _steal_ it?"

"Are the details really that important?"

"You-" Blake was cut off by the roar of a bullhead flying overhead. The both of them turned back to the shipyard and watched as it landed. After a moment, the hatch of the bullhead opened. Blake took on a conflicted expression when she watched people wearing identical uniforms walk out. "No…"

Sun surveyed the newcomers. "I'm guessing that's them?"

"Yeah…it is." Blake said quietly, making Sun glance over to her.

"You really didn't think it was them, did you?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I…did, but I just had this last shred of hope that it wasn't true. I knew that Torchwick was stealing dust, so I hoped it was him."

"Hey! Hurry it up, would you?!" The new voice prompted Blake to snap her eyes back open in surprise. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we kind of stand out right now!" Walking out of the hatch of the bullhead was Roman.

"Well, it looks like you were right after all." Sun mused. "Just…not in the way you wanted." He finished.

"This…isn't right." Blake muttered. "It's known that Kitsune has been working with both the White Fang _and_ Roman Torchwick, but it has never been confirmed that the White Fang and Roman were directly working together. When I met him, Kitsune said that his group was turned away…" She frowned. "Why would they lower themselves to working with scum like that?"

"I dunno…"

"Well I'm going to find out." Without saying anything further, Blake stood up and withdrew her weapon.

"Hey, what are you…" Sun trailed off as she jumped off the ledge and began to make her way over to the criminals. "Oh, here we go…"

Not noticing the approaching threat, Roman continued giving orders. "Come on, speed it up! It's only a matter of time unti-" He was interrupted when a blade unexpectedly found itself pressed against his throat. "Oh, son of a-"

"Nobody move!" Blake ordered. The White Fang members who had weapons on their person slowly started to ready them.

"Hey, uh, excuse me?" Roman hedged. "Would you please, oh I don't know… _Remove the sharp thing from my personal space?_ "

Using her free hand, Blake reached up and removed her bow, revealing her Faunus traits. "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you helping this trash?" The surrounding members hesitate at this, but Roman only laughed.

"Oh, you didn't hear?"

Blake scowled and pressed her blade closer to his throat. "Hear what?"

"Just that the White Fang and I have a…partnership going right now."

"Keep talking or this entire thing ends now." Before anything more could be said, the roar of more bullheads are heard overhead.

Roman let out a chuckle. "Are you _sure_ that you can pull it off?" Blake's head slowly turned up and she stared in horror as two more bullheads hover above them. "I mean…It _is_ a pretty big operation." He smirked. "We even brought in some celebrities to help…"

Suddenly, something sharp was pressed into Blake's back. "You know, I _swear_ this feels a little familiar…" Naruto said. Blake's eyes widened in alarm. Glancing back, she saw him standing there with his gunblade out. "I'm sure you remember the last time that we did this." He said. "Now, please step away from the wannabe mobster."

"I told you I'm not a wanna-"

" _Do it_." Naruto cut Roman off. Seeing no other choice, Blake slowly lowered her weapon and did as instructed. "Good. Now you're going to-" He didn't get the chance to finish when a foot impacted the back of his skull. Sun grinned in triumph, but it soon disappeared when Naruto went up in smoke.

"What?" The next thing Sun knew was pain when a leg was thrust into his back, sending him into a nearby crate. Standing in there was a completely unharmed Naruto.

"This is gonna suck…" The hooded blonde muttered. Channeling chakra to his legs, he rocketed towards Blake. Reacting to the threat, Blake brought her sword up and used it to block Naruto's. Anticipating this, Naruto pivoted around and slashed at Blake's side. What he _wasn't_ expecting was for the Blake he hit to fade away a moment later, only for a new one to appear in the air above it with a downward slash already on the way.

The moment before she hit him, an explosive round struck her side and threw her away. "Ha! That's for thinking you can take me hostage!" Naruto looked over and saw Roman standing nearby with his cane pointed where Blake was.

"Leave her alone!"

"The hell?!" Roman hastily raised his cane and used it to defend himself from Sun's attack. Deciding that Roman would be able to defend himself, Naruto turned back to Blake just in time to see that she was already attacking again.

Deflecting a slash from her weapon, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when Blake brought her other hand forward with another blade in it. Acting quickly, he tilted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding getting hit. _'Of course it can split into two…'_ Not deterred, Naruto pulled a kunai out into the other hand and called upon more chakra to speed up his movements.

Startled by the increase in speed, Blake pushed herself to keep up, making liberal use of her semblance to avoid any attacks that she wasn't able to dodge or deflect. Gritting her teeth at the exertion, Blake tried to find an opening to use. Out of nowhere, a blow to the back made her stumble, destroying her defense.

Acting on the opportunity, Naruto caught her under the chin with the pommel of his kunai, followed quickly with a slash from his gunblade, earning a shout of pain from Blake. Naruto brought his gunblade back for another strike, but she faded away after impact.

A few feet away, a winded Blake landed in a crouch. Her eyes turned to the one to hit her from behind and she was annoyed to see a second Naruto standing there. The two of them were watching her silently, waiting for her to make the next move.

"Argh!" Blake's attention was drawn away from her opponent and over to Sun, who was just launched by an explosion created by Roman's cane. Movement in front of her made Blake's eyes snap back to Naruto and his clone, only to see that they were already upon her.

Rolling to the side, Blake sprung back to her feet and deflected a stab, but was forced to use her semblance to save herself from the following attack by the other Naruto. Putting on a burst of speed as she separated from her clone, Blake succeeded in driving a blade through one of their chests. The one hit proved to be a clone when it went up in a puff of smoke.

Panting lightly, Blake glared at Naruto. "Why…Why are you doing this?"

Naruto frowned under his mask at the question. "I've already told you why when we first met."

"But think about it!" Blake growled. "You're working with Roman Torchwick. With the White Fang! This isn't the right way to change things!" Naruto snorted.

"Wow, do you realize how big of a hypocrite you are?" Blake flushed lightly, but didn't let up.

"I know I am, but I also know that I've given up on the White Fang." She looked down. "I used to believe that what they are doing is right…But not anymore." She met his eyes. "I left because I realized that they are taking things too far!" She rushed at him again.

A shower of sparks erupted from their blades when they met. "That's good for you…" Naruto said. "You do things your way and I'll do them mine. We'll see who has the better way in the end."

Blake shook her head. "But by then it will be too late!" She avoided a slash and retaliated, gaining another shower of sparks as a reward.

"Too late?" Naruto asked. "It will be too late if I do things this way? If I manage to change things? What the hell are you talking about?!" He roared. "I used to think like that, but you know what I realized?" He struck out his blade, but only hit a clone. "I realized that if I do things your way, then I will be too damn late!"

If he was just a _little bit faster_ …

"I realized that if I wanted to make _actual_ progress, then I will have to take things into my own hands! _Not_ rely on it being made over time by appealing to the higher ups! But instead by joining with people who were willing to do what was needed!"

If he had just been strong enough to _do what he should have done_ …

"I realized that the world isn't freaking black and white! And let me tell you, it was a _really_ harsh wakeup call! It was one that came in the form of finding out that some of the _protectors_ of the innocent were willing to overlook the lives of children! Willing to lie and say they all got to safety!" He finally managed to land a hit on her by feinting with his sword, but using it to create an opening to kick her in the chest. Stumbling back into a kneeling position, Blake panted and glared at Naruto, who slid back into a battle stance. "I've said it before and I'll say it again…I'm willing to get over myself and do things I don't like doing." He crouched in preparation of another attack. "And I'm sorry, but you're in my way."

"…Please, Naruto." His body froze at Blake's quiet words. "Just please _think_ about what you're doing."

"…"

"Naruto!"

"I _am_ thinking, Blake." Naruto finally said. His eyes met hers. "Trust me, I've put a lot of thought into this."

"No, you haven't!" Blake insisted. "Do you really think what you're doing is right?"

Naruto sighed. "…I know it isn't. I _know_ that I'm the bad guy here." He gained a determined look. "But I'm perfectly okay with that."

"But-"

"Enough!" He tightened the grip on his blade. "Stand and fight…or don't interfere. Either way, you won't stop me."

Blake bit her lip, indecision warring in her mind, but it soon was replaced by a determined look of her own. "I'm not moving."

"…Fine then." He began to gather chakra. "I'm sorry about this."

"Hey!" Both of them turned to the source of the shout. Standing on a nearby rooftop was Ruby, Crescent Rose in hand.

"This just keeps getting worse…" Naruto muttered. Ruby looked to survey the area for a moment before her eyes landed on Naruto and Blake. When they saw the state her teammate was in, they narrowed in anger. Spinning around her scythe for a moment, Ruby ended up with it pointed behind her. Instantly knowing what she was going to do, Naruto cursed. "Here we go…"

Sure enough, Ruby fired a shot and used the recoil to launch herself off of the roof and over to their position. Naruto quickly jumped back, narrowly dodging the scythe as it impaled the ground where he had been a moment prior.

Ruby glared at Naruto while standing protectively in front of Blake. "I won't let you hurt my friends!" Blake opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby was already speeding towards Naruto.

"Shit!" Naruto used his gunblade to deflect all the slashes of Ruby's scythe, but she was relentless in her assault. Deciding his next move, Naruto deflected her scythe to the side and hurled the kunai in his hand at her. Ruby was surprised by the move, but she was still able to react quickly enough to pull the trigger of Crescent Rose, propelling her out of the way.

Flipping through the air, Ruby landed on her feet and dashed back at Naruto, but she had to hastily duck again to avoid the horizontal swipe that came at her. Naruto was about to use the chance to lash a leg out at her, but Ruby fired another round to quickly change her direction.

Sudden movement behind him made Naruto turn around, just in time to stop Blake when she rejoined the fight with a surprise attack. Berating himself for nearly forgetting about her, Naruto fended off her attack, only to have a _strong_ punch impact the side of his face and send him flying into a shipping crate. Both Blake and Ruby turned to the newest addition to the fight in surprise.

"Penny?" The shock was obvious in Ruby's voice.

Penny smiled at her before looking back to Naruto. "Hello, Kitsune! It has been a while since we last met!"

Getting to his feet, Naruto winced and nodded weakly. "Hey, Penny…Strong as ever, I see…"

"Indeed!"

"…So you're here too…" Naruto sighed. _'This just got a_ lot _harder.'_ Ruby? Sure. Blake? That's doable. Ruby _and_ Blake? Challenging, but he only needed to buy time, not win. _The both of them and Penny_?

 _That_ was a problem.

Sliding into a battle stance, Naruto glanced at them warily. How was he supposed to get out of this one?

"Penny, you shouldn't be here…" Ruby said worriedly. Naruto nearly snorted at the insinuation that _Penny_ was the one in danger.

Not understanding the meaning of Ruby's words, Penny smiled at her again. "Don't worry! I am combat ready!" She faced Naruto again. "And I have learned that the best way to combat Kitsune is to attack him from every angle!" The next thing Naruto knew, there were numerous swords floating in the air above Penny. Both Ruby and Blake were staring at the weapons with wide eyes. "Now then, shall we commence the battle?" She propelled herself towards Naruto.

Jumping back to keep some distance, Naruto turned his gunblade into its gun form and flicked a switch on the side. Immediately, multiple lights on the gun lit up, all of them yellow. Taking aim, Naruto fired at Penny, showing that his bullets were now coated in electricity.

Knowing exactly how much damage would be done to her if anything hit, Penny used her swords as a shield to take the shots. Following Penny's lead, Ruby dashed off towards Naruto. Because he was preoccupied in keeping Penny and her swords away, Naruto was unable to react in time to Ruby, resulting in him getting launched to the side. His trajectory took him directly into the path of Blake, who had Gambol Shroud at the ready.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto flipped in the air and pointed his gun at Blake. Two quick shots were deflected, but it bought enough time for Naruto to get close enough to lash out a kick, only for Blake to jump out of the way.

' _I'm not gonna last like this…'_ Naruto jumped to gain some distance and tried to keep the girls busy with gunfire. With his small moment of reprieve, Naruto reached up to his earpiece. "How much longer?!"

The sounds of metal meeting metal and gunshots greeted him. _"Not too long!"_ Roman answered. _"Just a few more crates! But we need to hurry because the cops will show up soo-Watch it, you stupid monkey!"_

Naruto was going to respond, but he abandoned that idea in favor of avoiding the large scythe aimed at his neck. Unfortunately, this put him directly on the path towards Penny and her swords. "Gah!" Naruto's body was cut into as the blades attacked. "Getting _really_ sick of this…" Naruto growled. Jumping back, Naruto had to pivot in the air to avoid a slash from Blake, but he was still hit by Ruby's attack. "…Screw it!" Naruto holstered his weapon and threw his hands together. " **Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu**!" Expulsions of smoke filled the area, shocking the girls.

"What?!" Ruby shouted. Out of nowhere, around fifty clones were surrounding them.

Blake looked around with wide eyes. _'He can create this many?!'_ Naruto had only ever showed the ability to form a maximum of ten clones! At the same time, the clones attacked.

Penny took one look around before waving her arms around to direct her swords. She managed to destroy several clones, but she still had to move out of the way to avoid the ones that were still attacking her.

Ruby looked around in dismay, but she soon gained a determined look. Taking a short moment to crouch in preparation, she pushed herself to rocket around the area and take out as many clones as possible.

' _That should keep them busy…'_ Naruto thought to himself. He typically didn't create clones in front of people so he could avoid having them notice the need of a hand seal, but he didn't see a choice here. Turning, he left his clones to fight them and rushed over to the spot Roman was fighting.

When he arrived, he was greeted with the sight of Roman fending off an assault from Sun. Sighing, Naruto sped forward and caught the Faunus off guard with a blow from the side, sending him into a nearby wall. Naruto made sure to put enough force behind the hit to put him out of commission for a bit.

Roman panted a bit. "Thanks for the save, kid…"

Naruto nodded. "We good to go?"

"Yeah, so let's get to the bul-"

"You aren't going anywhere!" Naruto and Roman dove to the sides to get out of the way of Blake's angered attack. "I won't let you escape!" She lunged at Roman.

"She's right!" Naruto spun around and blocked the scythe that nearly impaled him. Ruby glared defiantly at Naruto. "There's no way you're getting away!"

Naruto glared as he pushed her back. "Why don't you just give up?!" Suddenly, Ruby's eyes flicked to something over his shoulder. Eyes widening in alarm, Naruto disengaged from the struggle and rolled to the side, just in time to not get hit by Penny's attack. Both Penny and Ruby got into battle stances and stared at Naruto.

Penny was the first to speak. "Kitsune, I am going to request that you surrender now. You have run out of time." Sirens were heard approaching nearby. "The local law enforcement will be here momentarily. Again, I request that you surrender."

"Ruby!" Not taking Naruto completely out of her field of vision, Ruby glanced to the side. A wave of relief rushed through her at the sight of Yang and Weiss running up to them.

"Yang! Weiss!" The two of them came to a stop next to her and readied their weapons against Naruto. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Yang smirked. "What, you thought we would miss a party like this?"

"Yes, because this clearly qualifies as such…" Weiss said sarcastically before glaring at Kitsune. "So, this is Kitsune…" She said quietly, gaining a nod from Ruby.

"Yeah, that's him. He's seriously tough! Even with me, Blake, and Penny all attacking together, he just wouldn't stay down!" Ruby said, getting looks of surprise from her teammates.

"Blake is here?" Yang asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, she is fighting Torchwick right now." Ruby confirmed. "We can go help her right after we take care of Kitsune!" Weiss and Yang traded looks.

Unseen to them, Naruto smirked under his mask.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea…" Weiss said slowly, gaining a frown from Ruby.

"What? Why not?"

"Because…" Yang began. At this point, alarms were going off in Ruby's heads. A smile slowly crawled onto Yang's face. "That would mean you guys won!" Without any hesitation, Yang spun around and landed a heavy punch to Ruby stomach.

Eyes widening in shock as spittle flew from her mouth, Ruby flew back and harshly impacted the ground. At the same time, Weiss struck out and lashed at Penny, surprising the robotic girl enough so that she too was hit. Off to the side, Naruto turned and ran off to help Roman.

Ruby pushed herself back to her feet and looked to Weiss and Yang with a confused and betrayed look. "Y-Yang? Weiss? What are you doing?!"

"Simple, really…" Weiss said with a smirk. "We're buying time."

"But why?! You're helping the bad guys!" Ruby frantically shook her head. "I'm not going to fight you!"

Penny frowned slightly and took a closer look at Weiss and Yang. After a moment her eyes widened. "Ruby, I do not think that these are Yang and Weiss…" Yang and Weiss frowned at the declaration, but Ruby just gave Penny a confused look.

"W-What?" Penny nodded at the question.

"It would seem that Kitsune has more abilities than what he has already shown…" Penny raised her arms, prepping her blades. "I am detecting energy signatures coming from the two of them that are identical to those of Kitsune and his clones. I believe that Kitsune may also have the ability to disguise himself."

Silver eyes widened and looked back to the enemy. "So they _aren't_ Yang and Weiss?"

"I do not believe so."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief before she glared at the imposters. "You'll pay for tricking me like that!"

'Weiss' scowled. "The boss would have preferred _not_ showing this ability, but it was needed." In twin puffs of smoke, she and 'Yang' were replaced by two copies of Kitsune. Suddenly, the roar of an engine was heard as a bullhead took off from nearby. "But it got the job done." He finished, only for him and the other clone to explode into smoke when Penny stabbed them with swords.

Lowering her arms, Penny turned her head to the retreating figure of the bullhead. "It would seem that Kitsune and Roman Torchwick got away after all…" Ruby sighed and lowered Crescent Rose.

"Oh man…This week _sucks_ …"

* * *

 **With Naruto (A Few Minutes Prior)**

' _Damn it! That won't buy me too much time…'_ Naruto could _not_ believe he had to resort to using transformed clones to creating an opening to escape, but he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer otherwise. Looking ahead, he spotted Roman defending himself from a fast combo from Blake. Naruto took out his gunblade and put on a burst of speed, allowing him to arrive just in time to get between Roman and a slash that would have connected.

Seeing that Naruto had arrived and saved him from what was certain to be a painful experience, Roman let out a sigh of relief. "Am I glad to see you, kid…"

Pushing back against Blake's blade until she jumped back, Naruto spoke up. "Get to the bullhead! We're getting out of here, now!"

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Roman turned and ran over to the nearest bullhead. Blake didn't bother to go after him, instead choosing to focus on Naruto.

"Blake…Please, just stand down." Naruto said quietly. "I don't like fighting you."

Blake glared back at him, extremely tired from all of the fighting she has been doing. The amount of times she has used her semblance alone already made it surprising that she was still able to stand. "It's not happening, Naruto…"

Naruto closed his eyes. "…Fine then. I'll make this quick." Pulling out a kunai and holding it in his free hand, Naruto shot towards her. Blake tracked his approach and chose the last moment possible to use her semblance to evade. As her clone faded from existence, Blake appeared behind Naruto, katana already descending.

Expecting this, Naruto rolled to the side and sprung back to his feet. As he came up, he launched the kunai at Blake's chest. Blake was surprised by the move, but she reacted quickly enough to deflect it into the air above them. Following this, she dashed at Naruto again and stabbed at him, but she was rewarded with a shower of sparks when their blades connected.

Cerulean eyes stared into yellow.

Suddenly, Naruto sighed quietly. "…You lose, Blake. I'm sorry." Blake's eyes widened and she was about to jump back, but she never got the chance to when her world turned black a second later.

Naruto caught her body before it hit the ground. Setting her down, he nodded to the clone that had struck from above, prompting it to dispel. If it wasn't for the situation, a small part of Naruto would have been amused that the tactic used against Zabuza had worked again. Only this time, the kunai that Blake had deflected into the air had transformed back into a clone and used the chance to knock her out directly.

Shaking his head, Naruto turned and ran off towards the bullhead.

* * *

 **Shipyard (Later)**

Ruby sighed despondently from her seat on a crate. They had fought their hardest…but the bad guys still got away. Glancing to the side, Ruby smiled slightly at the fact her wayward teammate was still there. At least _something_ had come from this.

"There you are!" Wincing, Ruby nervously looked behind her and spotted the other two members of her team.

' _Uh oh…'_ Hopping to her feet, Ruby moved to intercept Weiss. "Listen Weiss, Blake explained the whole thing to us. She doesn't actually have a bow and she is actually a Faunu-"

"I can see that, you dolt! Now be quiet for a minute!" Ruby's mouth snapped shut at that. Nodding, Weiss walked up to Blake, who got up as the white haired girl approached.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a minute, but it was soon broken by Blake. "Weiss, I swear to you that I am no longer affiliated with the White Fang in any way an-"

"Zip it!" Blake was stunned at Weiss' interruption, as were the others. Yang and Ruby were especially nervous that another fight was about to start. Taking a minute to close her eyes and take a deep breath, Weiss spoke up. "I am going to say a few things and ask you a question. And you _will_ answer me honestly." Her eyes turned glacial. "Got it?"

Blake shakily nodded. "Got it."

"Good." Weiss glared. "I hate the White Fang…That is something I have made clear over and over, and it is not something that will change. No matter what anyone says, they are a terrorist organization who seem to gain pleasure out of making the lives of my family hell." Blake frowned. "I do _not_ hate them as much as I do just because they are Faunus or because of what they fight for. I hate them because _they murder in cold blood_." Blake's eyes widened. Glare darkening, Weiss slowly moved a hand towards her weapon. "So I want you to tell me here and now… _Have you ever killed for their cause?_ " She hissed, shocking Blake.

"W-What?! No, never! I _refused_ to take those missions and I _always_ made sure that there were no casualties!" Blake responded. "I'm _not_ like the monsters in the White Fang! They're the entire reason that I left!"

Weiss stared at her for a minute, but soon nodded and let go of her weapon. "Good. Then I can…" She grimaced slightly. "…look beyond your past…But next time a problem like this comes up, you better come to us! Not some…" She glanced to Sun. "…vagabond."

Although surprised by Weiss' words, a smile soon came to Blake's face. "…Yeah, sure." Ruby and Yang exchanged smiles as Weiss huffed and crossed her arms.

"Good!" The Schnee heiress said. "Now, would you _please_ explain what exactly happened here?!"

"Oh nothing much." Sun said with a lazy grin and a shrug. "Just a White Fang operation."

Weiss raised a delicate eyebrow. "Oh? And I'm assuming by your relaxed demeanor and expression that you managed to stop them?" Sun stiffened and quickly looked away. "…Of course you didn't."

"Hey! We totally would have had it, but both Roman Torchwick _and_ that Kitsune guy were here!"

"Kitsune was here?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes. She quickly turned to Blake. "Were you able to find anything out about him while you were fighting? Something that would help us figure out how he has more than one ability?"

Blake swallowed nervously. This was it. She managed to confirm that Kitsune was actually Naruto during the fight, which was one of her goals. Noticing her reaction, the others shot her curious looks.

"Blake?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"I…We did find something about him out, yes…" Blake said slowly.

Yang's eyes widened. "And? What is it?" She asked excitedly. "Maybe we can actually make some progress in our investigation with it!"

"…" Coming to a decision, Blake took a deep breath. "We found out more of his abilities." Ruby gasped as Weiss frowned.

"More of his abilities?" Weiss repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Kitsune can transform!" Ruby said as she remembered the fight.

Weiss gaped a bit. "He can _what_?"

"Kitsune showed a new ability during the fight tonight." Penny answered. "During the fight, he had two of his clones approach us transformed as yourself and Yang in order to have us let our guards down…It worked."

"But…That's…How?" Now there was a _third_ semblance? "Two was already impossible! I don't even know what to call this!" Weiss said in frustration. "How can someone have _three_ semblances?!"

"They may not be semblances." Penny said, confusing the others.

Yang was the first to regain herself. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"I am referring to the method in which Kitsune created his clones." Penny informed. "As far as I am aware, there has never been a semblance that needed the person to form various hand signs and call out the name of the semblance. This gives credibility to the theory that-"

"That they aren't semblances, but something else…" Weiss whispered. "Of course! But what could they be?" She already figured that they weren't semblances, but this was the first step in proving that.

None of them had the answer to that question. Frowning slightly, Yang looked to the four who had been fighting. "Did you guys find out anything else?" They traded glances.

"Nope."

"Nu-uh."

"Negative."

"…" All eyes turned to Blake.

Frown deepening, Yang spoke up. "Blake?"

Blake was silent for a few moments before she opened her mouth. "I…" She glanced at Ruby. Eventually, she sighed. "No, nothing else."

* * *

 **Safe House**

Naruto sighed and sat down with a thud as the grunts got to work unloading all of the dust they stole. "That could have gone better…" He muttered.

"Yes, but it was still a job well done." Glancing over, he saw Cinder approaching. "Based on what I'm hearing, it was quite the fight…" He nodded numbly.

"It was worse than the others, that's for sure…"

"Worse? _Worse?!_ That wasn't just worse, kid!" Both of them turned to see a disgruntled Roman walking up to them. " _That_ was nothing less than a clusterfuck!" He pulled out a cigar and lit it. "If it wasn't for you and your clones catching those brats off guard with those disguises and getting to me, I don't know how much longer I would have lasted."

This successfully managed to capture Cinder's attention. "Naruto, what does he mean by 'disguises'? You have never shown an aptitude for such a thing before…"

"Aptitude? He definitely has one with what he pulled!"

"…" Naruto sighed. "I…may have a few more abilities than what I have already shown you…" Naruto admitted slowly.

Cinder's eyebrows rose in surprise as a predatory gleam entered her eyes. "Is that so?" She tilted her head. "You've obviously been wanting to keep this to yourself…Are you sure you want to share?"

A smile appeared on Naruto's face. "The 'good guys' and Roman already know about it, so I see no reason not to let you know." He grinned. "I trust you with this."

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 13!**

 **End was a little rushed (In my opinion), but I wanted to get it out now and I couldn't get it quite how I liked it regardless.**

 **Blake now knows for sure that Naruto is Kitsune!**

 **There, now Naruto has used transformation! Please stop pestering me!**

 **Penny can only detect energy signatures while someone is using a "semblance" or "aura." This means that she hasn't detected Naruto's yet.**

 **And now I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	14. Chapter 14

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 14!**

 **So…I see Ruby is winning the poll again. :P**

 **New things added to the FAQ:**

 **Q: If Penny can read energy signatures, why didn't she recognize Naruto when she met him?**

 **A: I didn't explain it directly in Chapter 13, but Penny can only detect energy signatures while someone is using "aura" or a "semblance." This means that she hasn't detected Naruto's signature when he isn't Kitsune yet.**

 **Q:** **Difference between what Naruto is doing and Sasuke turning traitor?**

 **A:** **Sasuke did it for power and revenge, Naruto is doing what he thinks is right…I'm really tired of this question.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Beacon Academy (A Few Hours Later)**

"Of all the irresponsible, impulsive, and _reckless_ stunts that I have seen in my time teaching here, what the four of you have done _truly_ astounds me." Glynda stalked back and forth in front of the members of team RWBY, who stood in a line with their heads bowed in shame. Ozpin was sitting at his desk, calmly observing the proceedings. "Just _what_ were the four of you thinking?"

Ruby made a small noise and attempted to speak up. "Professor, Yang and Weiss had nothing to do with it. They weren't even there until aft-"

"That is not the point, Ms. Rose!" Ruby flinched at the harsh tone. "As members of team RWBY, they are held just as accountable for the members who _did_ misbehave whenever something happens." Glynda turned on her heel and pinned them with a stern look. "And something _did_ happen." She pulled out a scroll and began reading from it. "Not only was there massive property damage to the shipyard, but there were _also_ damages done to the machinery and cargo nearby." Her cold eyes moved back to them. "And those are just the monetary costs of the incident. There is still the issue of students fighting against _known and highly dangerous criminals!_ " She put the scroll away. "So I ask again… _What were you thinking?_ "

"We couldn't just let them get away with it!" Ruby replied. "We had to do something!"

"No, you did not." Glynda harshly denied. "The officers of the Vale Police Department are the only ones who had to do _something_. You had no place jumping in there."

"They were attacking Blake! I wouldn't leave her like that!" Ruby's eyes widened as she realized what she just said.

"Oh yes…" Glynda's eyes moved to the black haired member of the team. "Ms. Belladona. You disappear for two days and then show up again fighting against members of a terrorist organization and two other criminals…" Blake met her eyes defiantly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"…Just that I don't regret what I did and acted in the manner that I believe is right." Blake said stoically.

"What you 'believe is right'?" Glynda repeated with narrowed eyes. "You believe it is right for students to endanger themselves by interfering with criminals such as Roman Torchwick and Kitsune?" Minutely, Blake's hand twitched slightly at the mention of Kitsune, but only one person in the room noticed.

"If it means not compromising my morals, then yes." Blake answered. "I saw that they were stealing and I wanted to stop them because I _knew_ that the police wouldn't be able to get there in time. In fact, even with myself and three others interfering, the police still did not arrive until the moment after it was too late."

Glynda glared. "Then don't you see that you putting yourself in danger like that did not make a difference in the end? Why take the risk if it did not yield the desired results _and_ it had the potential to end in a much worse fashion?"

"There was no way of knowing that without trying."

Ruby was quick to join in. "Yeah! And as a member of team RWBY, I wouldn't let Blake do something like this on her own!" She did her best to be brave, but she felt her desire to run intensify when Glynda's eyes moved back to her.

"Is that so?" Against her better judgment, Ruby nodded at Glynda's question.

"Yes, it is. Blake came across Torchwick, Kitsune, and the White Fang in the shipyard and he decided to try and stop them." Ruby said, gaining a determined look in her eyes. "She is my friend, and she needed my help. Forget being teammates, what kind of friend would I be if I just stood by and did nothing?" Ruby asked heatedly, gaining a slightly wide eyed look from Weiss and a smirk from Yang. Unnoticed to all but one, Blake twitch slightly again, but it was slightly stronger than before.

"Well in that case, it would only be fitting if-"

"Glynda." Glynda paused and turned to Ozpin with an inquiring look at his sudden interruption. While she may have normally been somewhat irritated by this, there was something in his tone that told her that he was serious. "I think that they have learned the repercussions of their actions…And Ms. Rose is correct. She was simply doing her best to be a good friend." He took a sip from his mug. "I think it would be best for them to return to their rooms." Ruby and Yang gained hopeful looks.

Glynda frowned at this, but she relented. Ozpin was occasionally whimsical at best, but she liked to believe that she was able to tell when he did something for a specific reason…

This was one of those times.

Nodding stiffly, Glynda turned back to team RWBY. "Very well then. You heard the headmaster, go directly to your room from here. _No wandering off,_ understood?" She got four nods in unison. "Good…Then go." They turned to leave, but paused when Ozpin spoke up again.

"Ms. Belladona, please stay behind." The other members of the team traded worried glances at this, prompting Ozpin to reassure them. "I promise you that she is not in trouble…I simply have a few things to speak with her about." Blake nodded, but she saw the reluctance of her teammates to leave her behind. Whether she wanted it to or not, a small smile made its way onto her face at the sight.

"It'll be fine." She said quietly. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll join you in the room." Weiss stared at her for a moment, but soon nodded silently and walked out of the office. Yang frowned harder, but relented and made for the door, pulling a reluctant Ruby with her.

Once they had left, Ozpin looked over to Glynda. "I am sorry, but I would appreciate complete privacy for the two of us." Glynda's response was to simply quirk an eyebrow before nodding sharply and following the three girls out. Blake watched them all leave and then turned to the headmaster. "Have a seat, Ms. Belladona." He gestured to a chair that he had in front of his desk.

Following the instruction, Blake walked over to the chair and took a seat. She sat there silently, expecting Ozpin to say something, but the headmaster instead took a silent sip from his mug and read over a scroll he had in his hands. As the silence stretched on, Blake became increasingly nervous until she couldn't stop herself from fidgeting in place. "Um…Sir?"

Ozpin took another sip before sighing. "Ms. Belladona…Is there something that is bothering you?" He asked as he met her eyes.

"I'm…not sure that I know what you mean." Blake said hesitantly.

Nodding absently, Ozpin looked back to the scroll. "During Glynda's…dressing down of you and your team, I had noticed that you occasionally seemed…uncomfortable with what was being said." Blake did her best to hide her panic. "Although you controlled yourself very well, it was still apparent to those who were looking for such things."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I still do not know what you are talking about." Was Blake's neutral response.

Ozpin's lip quirked up slightly at this. "Is that so…?" He mused quietly, more to himself than to her. "Then let me tell you the two times I noticed it. The first was when Kitsune was brought up. The second time was when Ms. Rose spoke about her desire to help her friends…" This time, Blake made _sure_ to keep her body completely still. "The two may seem unrelated, but I wonder if you know something that connects them…?" He trailed off.

"I'm afraid that I don't, sir."

Another sip of the mug. "So you're telling me that you do not know that the rogue huntsman known as Kitsune is actually the thirteen-year-old boy, Naruto Uzumaki?" Blake's eyes widened in shock.

"You…You…"

"I know, yes." Ozpin answered. If this was any other situation, then he may have even been amused by her reaction.

Not this time.

"…How long have you known?" Blake quietly asked, still unable to wipe the surprise from her tone and expression.

Ozpin considered the question. "Hmm…I believe I made the connection about two weeks after Kitsune first appeared." He admitted. "I had even already personally met Mr. Uzumaki at the time."

"But…But why didn't you…"

"Why didn't I say anything?" Ozpin guessed, getting a nod. "I didn't say anything because, at the time, Mr. Uzumaki was simply using the persona of Kitsune to complete various missions. It was nothing harmful."

"But he turned into a criminal!" Blake said in confusion, but got a raised eyebrow.

"I fail to see how you have any room to speak of that, Ms. Belladona." Blake stiffened at his words. "As a former member of the White Fang, you hardly have always been a law abiding citizen." Blake quickly looked away. "Now, is there a reason that you haven't shared this information with anyone? With your team?" Blake bit her lip and stayed silent. "Ms. Belladona?"

"…How…?" Ozpin gave her a blank look at the quiet whisper.

"How what?"

"How can I say something?" Blake's asked. "How can I tell them the person we were with on Friday, is the same person we have been looking into?" Her voice was growing louder as she spoke, but it seemed to be more to herself. "How can I say that the very person that they have promised to capture, promised to fight, was a friend?!" She slumped back in her seat, voice nothing but a whisper again. "…How can I tell Ruby that the very person who she was glaring at in that shipyard, was actually one of her best friends?" She laughed humorlessly. "I can't tell her that…What with the way she has promised to take down Kitsune, Weiss' words about him, and his criminal activities…It would break her…"

"Yes, I can see how that may be a problem…Ms. Rose would have a lot of trouble accepting such a thing, wouldn't she?" Ozpin's words surprised Blake into remembering that she wasn't alone.

"But if you knew that Kitsune was him, why didn't you say anything? Do anything?" As her surprise was starting to leave her, a pit of anger grew in Blake. "You knew Naruto was Kitsune before he became a criminal. Why didn't you do anything to stop him? Why have you allowed this to continue? The longer this goes on, the worse Naruto is making it for himself!"

Ozpin sighed. "As I said, I have personally met with Mr. Uzumaki, back before he became a rogue huntsman…Were you aware that a few months ago, there was a Grimm attack in one of the parks on the edge of Vale?" Blake frowned and opened her mouth. "And I am not referring to the one that ended in the deaths of people there. There was another one before that, one that did not end in tragedy." Her mouth closed again.

"…No…" Blake said quietly. "I didn't know about that one." Ozpin nodded with a smile.

"Yes, it isn't nearly as well known as the later one." He took another sip. "That attack consisted of nothing but a relatively small group of Grimm getting into the park. At the time, there were a few children playing there." Blake's eyes widened, but she forced herself to relax by remembering that Ozpin said this one didn't end in tragedy. "All of the Grimm were quickly killed however, by a single boy."

Blake's eyes lit up in realization. "This boy…It was Naruto?"

"Indeed." Ozpin confirmed. "Mr. Uzumaki was at the park at the time and saw the attack. Instead of running away or simply defending himself, he leapt in front of the children there and told them to escape. While they did so, he fought the group of Grimm on his own and killed them." Blake's eyes widened again. "I grew interested in this, so I decided to try and find the boy. It took me a while, but I eventually tracked him down to a ramen stand. While there, I observed Mr. Uzumaki and attempted to come to my own conclusions while asking him some questions…Questions such as why he endangered himself like that."

"What did he say?" Blake couldn't deny her interest in the answer.

"He told me, 'Why wouldn't I? There were kids in the park that were going to get killed if I didn't do something.'" Ozpin answered, gaining a small smile from Blake. "Imagine my surprise when a thirteen-year-old boy told me such an answer with a look that said that he thought it was obvious."

"…And how did you respond?"

Ozpin smiled faintly. "I did, what I felt at the time, was the only thing I could do…I offered him a place at Beacon." His simple answer stunned Blake. Not giving her the chance to say anything, Ozpin sighed and continued. "Unfortunately, as you can obviously see, Mr. Uzumaki declined my offer." He glanced to his mug, but he didn't bring it to his lips.

Blake frowned. "But…Why didn't he accept?"

"That is something I am still not completely sure of." It goes without saying that he had a few ideas, but nothing concrete. "But that isn't the point of why I am telling you this." Blake gave him a slightly wary look.

"Then what is?" Ozpin leaned forward slightly.

"Ms. Belladona…You have discovered the identity of Kitsune, a rogue huntsman who has both evaded capture for months and done what many people believed to be impossible by having more than one ability…I am going to ask you to _not_ divulge this information to anyone, including the other members of your team."

Blake was caught _completely_ off guard by this request. "You…You want me to pretend like I don't know anything?" She got a nod in return.

"Yes, I am afraid so. I know this may be difficult of you to do, and that I may be asking a lot of you, but I would greatly appreciate it if you do so."

"But _why_?!"

Ozpin sighed and closed his eyes. "I have met Naruto…I have met him and spoke with him. I like to think of myself as a good judge of character. When I look at Naruto, when I speakwith him…All I can see is a boy who only does what he thinks is right." Blake's mind went back to the reasons Naruto gave when she asked him why he does what he does. "I'm sure that, in a way, Naruto's actions may eventually help some people…But the way he is doing it is _not_ the correct way. He has committed crimes, yes…But if I believed that history as a criminal was enough to damn someone behind bars for the rest of their life, then…well…" He gave her a pointed look.

Blake swallowed nervously. "So you want me to…What exactly?"

"All I ask of you is to pretend as if you never came across this information. I'm not saying that you have to either agree or disagree with myself or anyone, but please keep quiet about Kitsune's identity." He locked eyes with her. "There is still a chance to recover. Can you do that, Ms. Belladona?" Blake bit her lip and rolled the question over. Eventually, she came to a conclusion.

* * *

 **Cinder's Place**

Naruto sat down on the couch with a sigh. "That took longer than I expected it to…" Cinder sat down nearby with a small smile.

"Well, what were you expecting to happen?" She asked lightly. "You have effectively blown the minds of everyone there…Including myself. It was already breaking the realm of plausibility for you to move at the speeds you have been and still be able to create clones, but this…" She shook her head, but didn't take her eyes off of him. "Transforming? Switching places with another object or person? Even _I_ was at a loss for words for a minute." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry about that…"

Her smile grew a bit. "There's nothing to be sorry for. It only makes sense that you would have hesitated to tell us everything." She said. "But…I _am_ curious. Was that everything?"

"Well…" Should he have shown them the **Rasengan** …?

Cinder's eyebrow quirked up. "Your silence speaks volumes, you know." He averted his eyes, prompting Cinder to sigh. "I won't force you to tell me anything, Naruto." She was confident he would eventually say it. "But can you answer something for me?"

Naruto gave her a curious look. "Um…Sure, what is it?"

"I have two things I want to bring up…" She locked eyes with him. "The first is the fact that you needed to form…hand seals?" A nod. "You needed to form hand seals for your techniques. Is that an absolute must?"

"Uh…" Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. "Yes…?" He was pretty sure that he has seen some people complete a jutsu or two without hand seals, but he has never figured out how it was done. "I wouldn't be able to do them without the hand seals."

"Alright…" Well, that is somewhat unfortunate, but it isn't terrible. "The next is this…" She paused and thought about how to broach the subject. "Naruto, have you noticed that all Grimm have red eyes?" Naruto adopted a confused look.

"I…guess? I have noticed, yeah, but I haven't put much thought into it." His reply gained a slow nod from Cinder.

"There are many theories behind this…But no concrete proof. No one is completely sure of the reason behind the red eyes that all Grimm have…"

"Alright…" Naruto said slowly. "Cinder, where are you going with this?"

A small frown pulled at Cinder's face. "I'm sorry for how this may sound, but Naruto, you are completely human, right?"

Naruto frowned. "Um…Yeah? Why do you ask?"

Cinder sighed. "There have been times when…You seem to go under some sort of change. I have only seen this happen when you get angry." Naruto stiffened. "When this happens…I notice that your eyes turn red." Naruto's blood ran cold. Seeing his expression, Cinder quickly continued. "I'm sorry if I'm over stepping my boundaries, I was just worried that something was wrong…"

He took a deep breath. "That isn't something I would like to talk about, Cinder…Sorry."

"Of course. I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable."

He shook his head. "It's fine, you were just curious." He looked off to the side. "I guess I don't mind telling you that those red eyes are something that happens when I get angry, as you said. I don't want to go any further into detail than that though."

"I understand."

Nodding, Naruto got up. "I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to go to bed now." He began walking towards the door. "Night."

"Goodnight." Amber eyes followed him as he left the room, but the owner was deep in thought. _'Aversion to the topic. Seemed to fear me discovering something. Red eyes when angry. When I first saw him, the Grimm were after him…I wonder if…'_

* * *

 **A Simple Wok (A Few Days Later)**

Naruto happily slurped his ramen before putting the bowl back down on the counter with a sigh of content. "That was good, Jack! Thanks!"

"Of course it was good, brat. I made it." Jack said with a proud smirk. "There was never a question about that."

"Still not quite the best though."

"Oum damn it! Stop lying about that!" Naruto laughed at Jack's words and left some money on the counter.

"I'm not lying, I swear. You're ramen is really good, but it isn't quite the best." Naruto said with a grin.

Scoffing, Jack swiped the money off of the counter. "And I still say that you're lying. There's no way my ramen comes second to anyone else's."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Denial so ugly of you, Jack."

"It isn't denial when it's the truth, brat!" He glared as Naruto laughed and walked out of the shop.

Still grinning from his interaction with Jack, Naruto checked his scroll. "Okay, I still have some time until I need to get back." He tilted his head in thought. "But what to do-"

"Naruto!" The next thing Naruto new, he was sprawled on the floor with an excitable Ruby on top of him. Not noticing who it was or her expression, Naruto allowed his instincts to take over. Acting quickly, he pushed against Ruby with a leg and used the new room to get a good enough grip and toss her off of him.

Moving just as fast, Naruto jumped to his feet and gained some distance, all the while moving a hand towards his daggers. When he finally realized who it was, a new wave of anxiety rushed through him. "Ruby." He said quietly, preparing himself for a fight. Glancing to the side, he tensed himself when he saw the other members of the team also prepping their weapons. "So, what do you want?"

Ruby looked back up to him with wide eyes. "What do I want? I want to know where you've been!" Naruto blinked at that.

"…What?" Did he hear that correctly?

In the blink of an eye, Ruby was standing in front of him, a glare on her face and rose petals falling to the ground behind her. "We haven't heard from you in a week! Do you know how worried I've been?!" Surprised by her sudden close proximity, Naruto jumped back and gripped a dagger. Ruby frowned at his actions. "Why do you keep doing that?"

Naruto scowled back. "Because your teammates are doing the same? Because of the last time we met? Ring any bells?" His eyes darted around for the best way to escape.

Listening to his words, Ruby glanced to her teammates, only just seeing that they all had their hands on their weapons. "What are you doing? Why are you looking like you're getting ready for a fight?" Naruto gave her an incredulous look, but she didn't see it.

"Um, maybe because of the fact that he just threw you and went for his weapons?" Weiss said sarcastically. "We were just responding to a possible threat!"

' _Wait, what?'_

"It's Naruto! He isn't a threat!" Ruby declared. "Stop going for your weapons!" Naruto watched as they traded glances. Eventually, his eyes momentarily locked with Blake's. In that fraction of a second, time seemed to stand still between them, but it was broken when Blake looked away.

"Naruto only reacted like that because he was caught off guard by someone tackling him." Blake said calmly. Moving her hand away from her weapon, she crossed her arms. "It was a normal reaction, really. If anything, it was kind of our fault for not getting his attention first." Ruby flinched at her words with a blush.

Weiss huffed and placed her hands on her hip. "I fail to see how you came to that conclusion."

Following their example, Yang grinned and deactivated Ember Celia. "Meh, I think he's just a bit jumpy." Amused violet eyes turned to him. "Do always treat your friends like enemies when they surprise you?" Naruto stared at them for a moment, completely at a loss for words. "Hello, you in there? Naru-"

"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded, surprising them all.

"Naruto?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

Taking another step back, Naruto looked between them. "Why are you acting like that with me?" He asked.

Yang frowned at him and dropped her normally playful attitude. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto scowled. "Why are you acting like we're friends?" He asked, gaining three surprised looks. "Didn't I already prove that I'm as bad as people like Roman Torchwick? As bad as the White Fang?"

It was at this point that Yang gained a scowl of her own. "It's because we know you. We know that you're not the same as them." She said. Not giving him the chance to say anything, she rounded on Weiss. "Now don't you have anything to say to him?"

Weiss returned her question with a glare. "Do I? I'm still not completely sure that I do…"

"Weiss!"

"Oh, alright!" Weiss stomped up to a cautious Naruto. Seeing him begin to edge away, Weiss snapped at him. "Stop acting like I'm going to attack you!"

Naruto gave her a doubtful look. "If you're not going to attack…Then what do you want?"

"I want to…" She grimaced and mulled over what exactly she should say.

"Just spit it out!"

"I am!" Weiss shouted back at Yang's order. Looking back to Naruto, she continued. "Naruto…I would like to… _apologize_ to you for what I said." Naruto just stared at her as she closed her eyes and forced herself to keep speaking. "It was… _wrong_ of me to tell you that you are as bad as people like Roman Torchwick, and I am sorry for that."

Dead silence.

When no reply came, Weiss opened her eyes. "Well? Do you accept my apology?" Still no response. "Are you even listening to me?"

"You're…You're apologizing?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes! Why is it so hard to realize that?!"

Naruto was at a loss for words for a moment. "Because you were kind of right?" Weiss gasped quietly as Yang growled and Ruby whimpered. Blake was the only one to close her eyes and look away. "I _am_ as low as some criminals, so it would only make sense for you to say that?"

Growling harder, Yang stalked forward. Before Naruto could gain some more distance, Yang surprised him by lashing out a hand and grabbing him by the front of his top. Eyes flashing red, she pulled him up so they were eye level. "Don't say that! Weiss was way out of line last when she said that last week and she just took it back. So don't go and agree with what she said!"

"…What?" Naruto gave her an incredulous look. "Are you really saying that after what happened?"

"Yes! I am!" She shouted. "Just because there was one heated argument where you said that there might be reasons for the things that people like Kitsune do, does _not_ make you as bad as him, or anyone else!" She dropped him back to the ground, making him stumble back a bit.

Naruto stared at her with wide eyes, realization slowly coming to him. "…You don't know…" He whispered.

Glaring still, Yang spoke up. "What don't we know?" Instead of answering, cerulean eyes moved to Blake, who had been watching the scene with Ruby. Following his gaze, Yang frowned at her partner. "Blake?"

Blake sighed. "I didn't tell you this…But after I went missing last weekend, I met Naruto." Not a lie.

Instantly, Ruby was in front of her. "You did?!" Her shout was echoed by Yang and Weiss. "Why didn't you say anything?!" Ruby demanded.

Shrugging, Blake answered. "There wasn't really much to say."

Weiss crossed her arms and gave both Blake and Naruto skeptical looks. "Then what was all of that about? Why does he agree with what I said?"

"There may have been…Another argument between us." Blake said slowly. "It was short, the entire thing happened in the time that Sun was gone for a few minutes, but it still happened…We didn't act like it last week, but Naruto and I met a few months ago."

"You did?" Yang asked, stunned.

"Yes, we did." Blake confirmed. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "We met while I was still a member of the White Fang." She admitted. "He wasn't sure why I was keeping the fact that I am a Faunus and my past from you guys, but he didn't bring it up when we were all together."

"Of course he knew." Weiss muttered under her breath. "Her teammates would be the last to know, of course." Yang's quick elbow to her side and glare prompted the Schnee heiress to stay silent.

Ignoring her white haired teammate, Blake continued. "By chance, Naruto and I met each other last week…Some things were said, which I'm not going into, but it eventually led to Naruto admitting that he could see himself becoming a criminal if he thought it would help." Also technically true.

Understanding what she was saying, Yang turned back to Naruto, who was still staring at Blake in shock. "Really? _That's_ what makes you think we're not friends anymore?" She rolled her eyes. "Stop being stupid. If anyone was pushed far enough, then they would stoop to things like becoming a criminal. I know I would." If it meant helping Ruby, her dad, or _anyone_ she cared about, then Yang could easily picture herself doing something like that. "Now stop acting like we're going to attack you and move your hands away from your daggers!"

Despite this, Naruto did not do so, instead choosing to lock eyes with Blake again. Nothing was verbally said between them, but Blake soon smiled and nodded, causing Naruto's disbelief to grow. Finally catching up to what Yang just said, he slowly started to move his hand away from his daggers.

"Finally!" Yang grinned widely and pulled Naruto into a hug, eliciting a startled sound from the younger blond. "Now that that's over with…Ruby was right! What were you thinking disappearing like that?!"

"I, uh…"

"As an apology, you're treating us all to lunch!"

Ruby instantly cheered. "Yes! Free lunch!" In contrast to her younger teammates enthusiasm, Weiss simply smirked and nodded.

"Yes, I think that will do nicely as an apology." She said approvingly.

"Wait, why do I have to pay for you?!" Naruto asked. "I don't think that's fair!"

"Well too bad, you're doing it!" Yang released him from the hug. Not giving him the chance to protest further, she spun around and began to walk away. "Come on, I know the perfect place nearby!" Naruto simply stared after her, still not sure that the last few minutes really happened.

Seeing this, Ruby grinned and grabbed ahold of his arm and began to tug him after Yang. "Come on, Naruto! You owe us!"

Naruto switched between staring at her, Weiss, Yang, and Blake. When his eyes landed on Blake again, he saw the small smile on her lips grow.

* * *

 **A Little Later**

"I think I'm going to get this…"

"Oh! Oh! This one looks good!"

"Hmph. Of course you would say that. It's on the dessert page."

"Hey! What does that have to do with anything?!"

"It means that you…"

Naruto tuned out the other occupants of the half circle booth as they poured over a single menu got swept into some pointless argument. Taking the chance, he turned to the person next to him with a glare. Seeing the look, Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes!" Naruto hissed. "Something is very wrong! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because I didn't want to." Blake's simple answer dumbfounded Naruto.

"You…You didn't want to?" Naruto echoed, gaining an amused smile from Blake.

"You know, I seem to recall a very similar conversation when we first met…" Naruto did not share her amusement. "Except last time, I was the one who was confus-"

Naruto cut her off partway with a harsh whisper. "This is different! I just said you didn't have to tell me your name. _You_ are acting like we aren't enemies!"

Blake frowned at him. "Are we enemies?" Once again, Naruto was having trouble comprehending her words. "Are we?"

"Yes?" Naruto answered as if it was obvious. "I thought that was made clear."

Shrugging, Blake replied. "All I remember is that we had a difference in opinions." She swallowed, trying to get her next words out. "You have your methods, and I have mine. That's what you told me."

"And when I told you that, you were pretty obvious with your opinion!" Naruto retorted, irritation seeping into his tone. "So why act like this?"

"I…" Blake took a deep breath. "I don't want to be your enemy, Naruto."

A quiet and sardonic laugh escaped Naruto. "It's too late for that, Blake."

Blake sent him a sharp look. "I don't think it is. As far as anyone else is concerned, Naruto Uzumaki and Blake Belladona are friends. My only problem is with Kitsune and the way he does things."

Naruto stared at her. "Did you really just say that? That must be the most questionable thing I've heard in a while."

Blushing lightly, Blake didn't relent. "Think of it what you like, but I'm sticking to it. I'm not telling them your secret and I doubt you will. So there isn't any reason for you to avoid us."

"You mean besides the fact that you're just denying the truth?!"

Blake glared. "I'm not denying anything. I stand by my words when I say that the way you do things as Kitsune is wrong. I just decided that I will only fight against you when you are Kitsune. As far as I can tell, that is pretty much your relationship with Penny."

"Yes, but that's because _she doesn't know!_ "

"Know what?" Both Blake and Naruto turned back to the others in surprise at the sudden question. Yang, Ruby, and Weiss were all staring at the two of them. "What are you guys arguing about?" Yang asked.

"Nothing. Naruto is just doubtful of us when we say that he is better than the absolute scum of the world."

Gasping, Ruby lunged across the table and grabbed Naruto's hands, startling the whiskered blond. "Stop thinking like that! Of course you're better than those criminals!"

Sighing, Naruto pulled his hands away from Ruby and shot a quick glare at Blake. "Ruby, while I don't think that I am the worst of the worst, I definitely know that I can agree with _some_ of what they're saying."

Pouting with a glare, Ruby pulled back. "Well, even if that's true, that just means you have your own opinions. That's perfectly fine! Even the four of us have slightly differing opinions on the subject." She pointedly ignored Yang's snort and muttering. "So it doesn't matter if you think like you do. We're still friends!" She said fiercely.

Grinning, Yang scooted over until she was close enough to sling an arm around Naruto's shoulders. "Yeah! So enough of that!" She reached over and plucked the menu out of Weiss' hands.

"Hey!"

"Just look at this menu." She set it down in front of him and began to point. "You're going to be paying for this, this, and this." She glanced up to Blake. "And then Blake still needs to decide what she wants, too."

Nodding, Blake pointed to a certain item on the menu. "I want this."

Looking at the item, Ruby slightly tilted her head. "…Tuna…?" Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all stared at the picture for a minute. Then all at once, their eyes widened as they came to the same conclusion.

"Oh…"

"Now that I think about it, that does make sense…"

"…"

Blake rolled her eyes. "You never thought it was weird that most of my meals had tuna in them? Or that I never took off my bow?"

Ruby blushed. "How were we supposed to know?!"

"At first, I didn't think such a disguise would work…But the three of you showed me that it was actually a pretty good one."

Even Weiss had a little bit of red dusting her cheeks. "Well, we just didn't expect our teammate to hide such a thing from us."

"That's still no excuse for being so oblivious to something like that. We even share a room."

Yang smiled good naturedly. "These two may be embarrassed about it, but I don't mind. After all, all that matters is that the cat's out of the bag now." No one said anything, instead choosing to stare at her. "What?"

"Yang…I'm asking you to do this because I love you…Please stop with the terrible jokes."

"Terrible? Ruby, that was a great one!"

"No, that was nothing but an assault on my ears."

"Oh, would you say it was a _cat_ astrophe?"

"Yang! Stop it!"

"Never!"

"Ugh, why do I put up with you people?"

Naruto stared dumbly at the three as they began to bicker again. Slowly, his eyes turned to Blake, who was giving him another amused smile.

"I haven't given up in making you stop what you're doing as Kitsune…But I don't want to lose a friend as I do it."

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 14!**

" **What the hell are you doing? Blake should say something about Naruto."**

" **Why didn't Blake say anything about Naruto?"**

" **I can't believe you had Blake say nothing!"**

 **Holy crap, SHUT THE HELL UP! Do you really think I would have her say nothing just for the hell of it? Just to make it convenient for me to write? Dammit, of course I had/have a reason! And out of everyone that mentioned that in a review, I only saw one person that correctly guessed the reason…**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**

* * *

" _Did you know? Every Legend was inspired by something."_

" _And while not all legends may be true…"_

" _There are those legends that are based on the achievements Of real people."_

" _Real men and women."_

" _People who have transcended all others, becoming something…more."_

" _They become a legend."_

" _But what qualifies one to legendary status?"_

" _Is it their heroics? Their strength of heart?"_

" _Or is it how long The person is remembered?"_

" _Would it be the diamond jubilee? Perhaps golden? Or even Silver?"_

" _There exist countless legends of all ages."_

" _Legends of wizards. Legends of mages. Legends of gladiators. Legends of Shinobi. Legends of warriors."_

" _To gain the status of 'legend' and have your story told through the generations is simply amazing."_

" _Most legends are forgotten in time, becoming nothing more than lore and stories told to children."_

"… _The scary part?"_

" _Some legends never die."_


	15. Chapter 15

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 15!**

 **Hey, here's a tip…If you** _ **don't**_ **like the story, don't read it! Don't use a review for the 14th chapter to complain to me about the way I do things.** **By now, I'm invested in my methods and plans! If you hate reading it, you could have stopped somewhere along the way…You know,** _ **before you were 100k words in.**_

 **I have finals in a week, meaning that I also have a project or two due this week…So updates may become a little short and late, sorry.**

 **Holy crap, over 100k views. We're also getting closer and closer to 1k follows. Thanks for that!**

 **Okay, here's the thing. I have avoided directly answering something for a while now, even when multiple people asked. As I'm sure that many (If not most) of you have noticed, I have left out Naruto's ability to summon in the story. This was because I had been contemplating using it for something specific…But I have now decided not to. Of course, this leaves the problem that I never mentioned summoning once.**

 **So here's my solution (Even though I hate it myself). I went back into chapter 1 and -in the recap of Naruto's first week in Remnant- mentioned that he attempted to summon, but nothing happened. Every time he tries it, only a puff of smoke is the result. Half assed? Yes. Would you have given a damn if I had done this from the beginning? Probably not.**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Warehouse (A Few Days Later)**

A punch was thrown at a dummy set up in the corner of the room. _'I just don't get it.'_

" _Because I didn't want to."_

A kick followed the punch. _'What kind of reason is that?'_

" _I don't want you as my enemy, Naruto."_

' _It really_ is _too late for that!'_ The punch that came next was laced with frustration, making it stronger. _'I'm fighting against them! We_ are _enemies!'_

" _I just decided that I will only fight against you when you are Kitsune."_

' _How can she act like nothing has changed?_ Why _is she acting like that?'_ Naruto could feel his confusion growing. Prior to this, he and Blake were friendly enough, but they _weren't_ really close friends. So why would she be willing to keep his secret for him? Growling, Naruto put even more strength behind his punches. _'It doesn't make sense!'_ He was snapped from his thoughts when the dummy actually broke from the force. Taking a moment to stare, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Uh…Whoops?"

"That about covers it, yeah." Blinking in surprise, Naruto turned to see an amused Emerald standing behind him. "What did that poor dummy do to deserve such a cruel demise?" She asked.

Naruto gave a guilty smile. "Its mistake was that it allowed me to vent my frustrations on it."

"Yeah well, don't expect any of us to pay for that. It's coming out of your wallet." Emerald told him. "Those things aren't too expensive, but they are still annoying to pay for."

With a roll of his eyes, Naruto smirked at her. "I'm sure that _you_ would be the one to know that. After all, who exactly is the one who breaks the most of them?" His smirk grew when a light dusk of red invaded her cheeks.

"Shut up…" She muttered before turning around. "Come on, Cinder asked me to come and get you so that we can start the meeting." Emerald began to walk off.

Nodding, Naruto quickly caught up to her with a curious look on his face. "So, do you have any idea what she wants to talk to us about this time?"

The answer he got started with a shrug. "Not a clue." Emerald admitted. "She hasn't told me anything either, and I know that Merc is the same." She smirked. "And I didn't even bother asking Roman."

Naruto snorted. "If she told Roman something and not us, I would honestly be insulted." He said good naturedly. They didn't have any proof of course, but it has been a long standing debate between Naruto, Emerald, and Mercury on whether or not Cinder keeps Roman in the dark for as long as possible just to mess with him. "…She might have told Neo though."

Considering his words, Emerald nodded. "Sure…I can see that. It's not like she would say anything to anyone. Both because she prefers to keep silent andbecause Neo knows it would drive us insane if she knew but we didn't." Neo _really_ enjoyed messing with people…

"So not a single clue?"

"Hmm…" Emerald frowned slightly. "I think I've seen Cinder looking at blueprints of some building…That and a couple of maps…"

Recalling the few times that he has seen something similar, Naruto nodded. "Yeah…I think I've seen Cinder doing that…But I never bothered to ask what it was about."

"Well, we could be about to find out." Emerald nodded towards the table they were walking toward, where Cinder, Roman, Mercury, and Neo were already seated. On top of the table were the blueprints and maps they were talking about a moment ago.

"Looks like it."

Cinder glanced up from the scroll she was reading from when the two of them approached. "Good to see that you could make it, Naruto." She said, although it was without a reprimanding tone. "I was worried that you were too busy destroying a training dummy to come and join us."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I just have had a lot on my mind over the past couple of days." Amber eyes bore into cerulean for a few moments before Cinder nodded.

"It is understandable. Stress gets to all of us." She gestured to the unoccupied chairs. "Why don't you and Emerald have a seat and we will begin?" Twin nods were given as Naruto and Emerald did as suggested. "Now then, I have requested that you all be here in order for me to tell you that we are going to begin preparations for phase two."

"Well that's nice." Roman said sarcastically. "Now if only we _knew what that meant_." Despite his obvious irritation, Cinder only smiled at him.

"You will know everything you will need to in due time, Roman." Although unsatisfied, Roman nodded. "Good…Now tell me, how are things on your front? I have left much of the day to day interacting with the White Fang to you."

Roman gave a 'so so' hand movement. "As well as they have been. They still don't like me, I still don't like them, but we all just deal with each other. It's getting easier…I guess." He tacked on. "The biggest problems we face come from those who are looking to leave the White Fang and turn on us. There aren't too many, but there doesn't need to be to cause a lot of harm."

Cinder's eyes sharpened. "And what do you do with these…risks?" She asked delicately. In his seat, Naruto was also interested in this answer, knowing that Blake qualified as such.

The orange haired man shrugged. "I mostly leave it up to the White Fang to deal with. Taurus specifically tries to keep us out of their business…That guy doesn't like me. Sometimes, I think he is just barely holding himself back from killing me."

' _Wouldn't surprise me.'_

Oblivious to Naruto's thoughts, Roman continued. "Basically, it isn't my problem unless it is likely that our group will be directly harmed by it. I'm fine with it that way."

"And how often _does_ our group run the risk of being harmed by someone who leaves?" Cinder asked.

After taking a moment to think about it, Roman grimaced. "Not too often…" He averted his eyes when Cinder quirked an eyebrow.

"Roman…" She said dangerously, causing a chill to go down his spine.

"Alright, alright…" Roman sighed. "There _may_ be a…member who has been becoming more and more of a flight risk lately…And he _may_ know some important information that _may_ cause us a lot of harm if it got out…"

Cinder's eyes narrowed. "Then I suppose that you will be doing all that you can to make sure that he remains on at least neutral terms with us, correct?" She would have said something else, but there were some people who would not take kindly to those words…Both the few White Fang members in the warehouse and a certain blond teen came to mind.

Swallowing nervously, Roman nodded. "Yeah…Of course." He confirmed.

Hearing this, Cinder nodded. "Good…" Amber eyes left Roman to look at her scroll, allowing the man to sag in relief, only to sit up straight again when Cinder looked his way again. "Now that that's taken care of, how far along are you in producing copies of the Atlesian Paladin-290?"

"The first batch is nearly complete." Roman said proudly. "The schematics were handed over to the egghead nerds who know what they're doing a while ago. According to them, they just need one more component to finish them." His smile slipped off his face somewhat. "Unfortunately, that component happens to be a military grade piece of hardware that isn't exactly easy to replicate."

"Yes, I would imagine that would be difficult…"

Roman nodded. "Indeed it is, that's why the White Fang wants to go in and steal the needed hardware from an incoming shipment that's scheduled to pass through Forever Fall by train." His gaze slid over to Naruto. "In fact…Taurus specifically requested that Kitsune joins in on it." This time it was Naruto's turn to grimace as all eyes turned to him.

Working with Adam Taurus again did _not_ sound pleasant.

Cinder took in his reaction. "How about it Naruto? Are you willing to join Adam on another raid?" She paused. "If you would like me to, I could tell him that you are already running another operation on that day…"

With a resigned sigh, Naruto shook his head. "No, that's fine…I'll help out." He would just remind himself that if he _wasn't_ there, Adam would be more likely to fly off the handle and kill someone. Naruto smiled at Cinder. "But thanks for the offer." He glanced back over to Roman. "So when is the train coming passing through?"

"Two days from now. I'll give you the details when Taurus bothers to tell me." Irritation colored his tone again. "Anything else you want to know, your highness?"

Ignoring the barb as usual, Cinder shook her head. "No, that was it." She looked to Emerald and Mercury. "The next thing I want to mention is that I will be needing Emerald and Mercury to join me on an extended mission soon." This announcement gained surprised looks from everyone at the table.

"You will?" Mercury asked. "What's the mission?"

"The mission is relatively simple. The three of us will enter Beacon while posing as visiting students from Haven." Cinder informed, making his eyebrows shoot up.

Emerald frowned slightly and glanced between Mercury and Cinder. "Is there a reason you chose this specific group? Wouldn't Naruto be a good choice for an infiltration mission?"

Cinder smiled slightly. "This is the _only_ group that can do it." She answered. "Roman's face is too well known and he has other responsibilities." Said man nodded, relieved to not have to take on such an annoying assignment. "And not only does Naruto look too young, but Ozpin also knows him somewhat. This means that he wouldn't be fooled if Naruto suddenly appeared and claimed to be a student from another kingdom."

' _Not to mention that Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang would know it wasn't true.'_

"Neo's face has also been seen, but she can disguise herself. It's true that Naruto could do the same, and maybe even transform to look older, but the two of them will be needed here at that point." Cinder continued. "So it will just be the three of us…Any other questions?" Not seeing anything else to ask about, Emerald shook her head while Mercury shrugged. "Good…Now then, I would like to bring up…"

* * *

 **Forever Fall (Two Days Later)**

Adam moved his hand to the hilt of his blade at the sound of someone approaching behind him. Looking over his shoulder toward the forest made up of red trees, he scoffed and release the grip on his sword before facing forward again. "About time you got here." He said.

Decked out in his Kitsune outfit, Naruto frowned. "This is the time I was told to be here. You're just early." He nodded to the railroad at the base of the steep cliff they were standing on. The railroad tracks cut through a small valley in the forest, allowing them to get the high ground when it approached. "How much longer until the train gets here?"

"Shouldn't be long now." Adam answered gruffly. "You know the plan?"

"You haven't told me it yet."

"Tch." Adam pointed to the side. "The train is going to be coming in from the east any minute now. If it is anything like the last one, it will be so wide that it needs to take up both sides of the track, giving us plenty of room to jump on."

Naruto glanced at him. "The last one?" He repeated. "So you've done this before?"

Something about the question made Adam scowl, but he still nodded stiffly. "Yeah, I have. And it's for that reason that I'm expecting some extra security to be here this time. Last time, it was only a bunch of androids…The Schnee Dust Company is made up of a bunch of bastards, but they aren't stupid." He looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eye with a sneer. "And I assume that you will want me to leave the humans alive?"

The hooded blond glared at him. "Yes, I will. Like the time at the shipyard, you can just leave the people to me."

Adam scoffed again. "Fine, whatever." He said darkly. "Once we get on the train, we are going to find the car that has the cargo we are looking for. After that, it's a simple matter of detaching that car from the rest of them and calling in someone to airlift it out of there using a heavy lifting bullhead. They'll be stationed nearby, so it will only take a couple of minutes for us to get out of there with the cargo. Got it?" Naruto nodded. "Good, because it's show time." This declaration was proven by an approaching plume of smoke. A moment later, a large train came around the corner. "Here we go!" Without bothering to wait for Naruto, Adam jumped over the side of the cliff and began to slide down the slope.

Sighing at the man, Naruto copied his actions and jumped. Maneuvering their bodies to avoid large rocks and the odd tree, they made their way down the hill. When they got close to the bottom, they leapt off the ground and into the air above the train.

Because of the speeds the train was moving at, Adam unsheathed his weapon and stabbed it into the top of the train to decrease his momentum. Instead of doing the same, Naruto channeled chakra into his feet and landed in a crouched position, also using chakra in the palm of his hand to keep a grip on the train.

Once they had adjusted themselves to the moving train, Naruto and Adam dashed toward the center of the car. Coming to a stop in front of a hatch in the roof of the car, Adam unsheathed his blade again and swiftly cut the lock keeping it closed before he opened it and jumped in.

Naruto landed in a crouch next to Adam in the dark room, took one quick glance around them, and swore under his breath. "Did this happen last time?" Surrounding them were numerous androids identical to those that they fought against in the shipyard.

With a malicious smirk, Adam nodded. "Yeah, it did." Naruto's eyes snapped to him. Feeling the glare on the back of his head, Adam's smirk grew. "What? I still want to get a little fun out of this. And what better way than to cause property damage?" Naruto opened his mouth to say that this _wasn't_ fun, but was cut off.

Detecting the sudden inclusion of new presences, the androids around them came to life. Standing up straight as their visors glowed red, the androids pointed their arms at the two intruders, which became a bigger problem when the arms transformed into weapons. " _Intruders, identify yourselves._ "

' _Not this shit again…'_ Groaning in his head, Naruto slowly reached for his gunblade. In contrast to Naruto's reluctance, Adam eagerly eyed the androids.

Upon getting no response, the android spoke up again. " _Failure to comply will result in the use of hostile force. This is your last warn-_ " That was as far as it got before Adam decapitated it.

Using this as the sign to get started, Naruto took out his gunblade and began to quickly fire off rounds at the androids. He only managed to take out a few of them when he was forced to roll to the side to avoid gunfire. Unfortunately, this placed Naruto directly in the path of a downward slash from another android's sword. Acting quickly, Naruto pointed his weapon at the android's arm and fired. This did the intended job of stopping the attack, giving Naruto enough time to switch his gunblade into sword form and stab into the android's chest.

Yanking his sword free, Naruto spun around and parried the stab of another sword and kicked the android back into its companions. Not letting up, Naruto chance to destroy the two fallen androids. As he flipped over another android when it came at him with a horizontal swipe, Naruto slashed it clean down the middle.

Once that was done, Naruto brought his blade up and used it to deflect bullets from the side. Seeing that another android was going to use the opening to shoot from another angle, Naruto jumped back and quickly threw a kunai at the second android. As it fell to the ground, Naruto converted his gunblade back into gun mode and killed the first android.

Noticing that he jumped into a spot that allowed him to be surrounded, Naruto sheathed his gunblade and summoned a small group of clones, each of them rushing in a different direction to fight.

Although they all made sure to stay clear of the side of the car Adam was fighting at.

After Naruto blocked a slash from a sword, a clone came and killed the android. Naruto spun around the clone and hacked apart another android while the clone guarded his back. _'They just keep coming…'_ Naruto thought in annoyance. After briefly watching the red light fade away from an android's visor, Naruto took a quick head count of the remaining number. _'Okay, so there aren't too many left in this car…'_

It was then that the door at the end of the car opened, allowing light to shine into the room. "What the hell is going on here?!" Glancing over, Naruto sighed when he saw that a group of Atlas Military soldiers were standing there, weapons at the ready. The soldier at the front of the group zeroed in on Naruto and Adam, immediately realizing who they were and what they were doing. "Kitsune and the White Fang!" He declared, pointing his gun at them.

Standing up from his crouched position after cutting down another android, Adam sneered. "You said that I should leave them to you, so go ahead and take care of them." He said with obvious distaste. Not even waiting for a reply, he moved off to slash at another android.

Taking a moment to glare at his temporary partner, Naruto turned his attention back to the guards. "I apologize for this, but we will be taking something we need." He said.

"Pretty arrogant of you to say, brat!" A guard shouted back. "I'd like to see you keep that attitude up while in prison!" And just like that, he opened fire on Naruto, surprising his comrades.

Without being instructed, the clone got in between Naruto and the guards and began to deflect and block the bullets. Using that chance, Naruto switched his gunblade into a gun and fired at the guard, although he only aimed for the chest.

Because of the armor he wore, the guard wasn't incredibly injured, but that wasn't what Naruto wanted to happen. The force of the bullets hitting his chest and the pain created from it caused the guard to stumble back a bit with a pained shout. Acting on that, the clone surged forward with its blade at the ready. By this time, the other guards were catching up to the fact that the fight had already started, so they aimed at the oncoming clone.

Not wanting the clone to get dispelled without at least doing some damage, the original Naruto supplied some covering fire on the guards. By the time that the guards were able to regroup and get behind some of the crates in the room for cover, half of them were already taken out.

Sprinting forward now that he had the chance, the original Naruto split off from the clone and jumped over a crate. The guard that was hiding behind it was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Naruto, so he was unable to react in time to stop the strike to the back of his neck. Without bothering to watch the man crumble to the ground, Naruto shot off toward the next one.

Partway over, Naruto spotted out of the corner of his eye that another guard was taking aim at him from the side. Thinking fast, Naruto slid across the ground and under the bullets streaking over his head. Springing back to his feet, Naruto came up on the other side of another guard, forcing the one shooting to cease hit shooting. The surprised guard next to Naruto quickly whirled around with a slash of his sword, but was met with nothing but air when Naruto leaned to the side.

Using the overextended limb, Naruto grabbed the arm and twisted it until it was bent behind the man. Gasping at the sudden painful position, the guard wasn't able to stop himself from being driven head first into the floor. Because of his helmet, the blow didn't do too much damage, but the pommel to his neck did.

Standing up, Naruto found himself surrounded by a small group of guards. "Put your hands up, Kitsune!" One of them shouted. "We've got you surrounded!" Naruto glanced around and rolled his eyes, confusing them greatly with how relaxed he was about being caught. "You're outnumbered and surrounded, so put your hands up.!"

"Here's something to remember…" Naruto began slowly. "…I'm _never_ outnumbered." He watched as his clones appeared behind them and knocked them all out. "You'd think they would learn better by now…" He muttered before looking over to see Adam approaching. "I see your done having _fun_ on your end." It was then that his clones dispelled.

Adam snorted. "As if those pathetic toys can do anything more than briefly entertain me." He strode by Naruto and towards the door. "Come on. This isn't the car and there are sure to be more guards coming." Nodding Naruto followed as Adam broke into a dash. The two of them exited out onto flatcar with various large crates strewn about on it. On the other end of the flatcar was the last car on the train, which was a smaller one that had a heavy steel door. Spotting the door, Adam grinned. "That's probably it, we just need to verify. Let's move."

"I believe that the two of you have done enough damage here already." Instantly on guard, Naruto and Adam watched as a woman stepped out from behind a crate. "I'm afraid that I will need to capture you now." Naruto's eyes widened when he saw her. He wasn't sure who she was, but there was no mistaking the resemblance she had to someone he knew.

Standing there was a tall young woman with pale skin, white hair tied up into a bun, and cold blue eyes. Although her hair was done in a bun, her bangs were brushed to the right side of her face and a small lock of hair reached below her left ear. On her hip was a silver dueling saber. The woman's face held a stern look as she kept her arms folded behind her back in a disciplined manner.

The moment Adam saw her, a snarl tore from his throat and he took a step forward. " _Schnee_." The venom in his voice was nearly tangible.

' _So she really is a Schnee…How is she related to Weiss?'_

The woman's only reaction was to quirk an eyebrow. "Yes, I am a Schnee. And it is for that reason as well as my affiliation with the Atlesian Military that I am here. You however, are not only trespassing, but also causing massive amounts of damage to both the personnel and property on this train." Her eyes narrowed. "So I repeat; I will be capturing you now." Her hand moved to her sword.

Adam grinned viscously. "Oh, I am _so_ going to enjoy this." He was about to take another step towards her, but stopped when Naruto's hand latched onto his arm. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" He growled.

Not fazed in the least, Naruto glared right back at him. "I'm sticking to the plan." He said lowly. "You're going to leave her to me while you go and isolate the car with the cargo."

" _What?_ " Adam bit out. "Do you really expect me to pass up the chance to _kill_ a Schnee? To hear her scream and beg for mercy?" He truly seemed a little eager at the prospect.

Naruto felt slightly sickened by the redhead's words and tone. _'How can Weiss actually_ _compare me to this sick…_ monster? _'_ Pushing down his reluctance to even be near the man, Naruto spoke up. "Are we really going to have this discussion again? I thought we agreed last time that by doing this, you're just as bad as the humans you hate."

This reminder brought about a darkened scowl to the visible portion of Adam's face. "While that's true, it's _also_ true that I would be betraying my people by passing up on a chance to get even!" He roughly shook off Naruto's arm. "So shut up and don't get in my way, brat!"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Naruto shouted out. "You do this, and you're only going to end up getting us both captured!" Adam froze before he slowly turned around to face Naruto.

" _What?_ "

Nodding, Naruto gestured to the Schnee. "Why do you think she has just been standing there the entire time while we argue? She's buying time!" Naruto said, making the woman's eyes snap to him. "I'm sure that there is probably some sort of point up ahead where a bunch of Atlesian Military are stationed. She doesn't need to beat us, she just needs to make sure that the two of us and the cargo make it to that point!"

Considering his words for a moment, Adam fixed Naruto with a glare. "If that's true, then why does that mean that _I_ have to be the one to continue?"

Naruto quickly thought of an answer. "Because you're the only one who can call in the extraction team. Added to that, you're also the only one who can detach the car. None of my weapons can do it, while yours can." No need to mention that a **Rasengan** could probably do it. "So, would you rather fight her for the sake of your revenge, or would you rather make sure that the mission is completed so you can cause more damage later on?"

Adam clenched his teeth as his body shook in place from the rage he was feeling. "…Fuck! Fine, but you had _better_ make sure that she suffers!" He turned and sprinted to the last car.

Having heard this, the woman glared and spoke up while unsheathing her weapon. "Do you really think that I will stand by and allow you to do as you please?" She questioned. "You're not going anywhere!" She was about to dash forward to meet Adam partway, but she found herself impeded by the bullets that were suddenly flying at her.

"Sorry, but you won't be stopping him." Naruto called without letting up. "So I would appreciate it if you don't even try." By then, Adam was already at the door and slicing it open.

Scowling, the woman replied. "It will take more than this to stop me…If that is how you want it, fine. I will need nothing but a minute to deal with you." She declared.

The next thing Naruto knew, she was upon him with her sword already in motion towards his neck.

' _Shit!'_ Naruto threw himself to the side, narrowly managing to avoid the attack. Rolling back to his feet as his weapon turned into a sword, Naruto was forced to defend himself from a rapid onslaught of slashes and stabs from multiple angles. _'She's freaking fast!'_ Pumping chakra into his legs, Naruto ducked under a swipe from the Schnee's sword and retaliated with an upwards stab aimed at her chin.

Remaining calm, the Schnee leaned back so that the sword would pass harmlessly in front of her face while at the same time she used the momentum to flip her body back and kick at Naruto. Stumbling back from the kick, Naruto was unprepared for the follow up slash that cut into his arm.

Hissing in pain, Naruto jumped back to gain some distance, but the relief was short lived when the Schnee was already in front of him with another assault. Seeing how much he was struggling to keep up with her movements, she smirked minutely. "It would be advisable for you to surrender now, Kitsune." She said.

Wincing as another slash glanced him, Naruto spoke up. "Is that right?"

"Yes, it is."

"How come?"

The Schnee quirked an eyebrow again and swiped her sword from the side, only for it to prove to be a distraction when she attacked from the other side with a kick. "You are very skilled for your age, but you are against someone of a much higher skill level. I have read the reports of your known battles. Up until this point, you have only fought against other teenagers or people who are undertrained and unskilled. Never before have you fought someone such as myself." Another connected stab. "And it shows."

Naruto smirked defiantly under his mask as he came up with a plan. "Wow, if I had any doubts about who you are, they're gone now."

Her eyes turned glacial at this. "And what is that supposed to mean?" She asked dangerously.

"Oh nothing much…" Naruto said innocently between dodges and deflections. "…Just that you aren't without your family's arrogance."

The woman's stern look gradually turned into a glare. "My family is _not_ arrogant."

"Hmm…I don't know about that…" He mused. "You people _do_ have your moments…" Naruto was mentally apologizing to Weiss as he said this.

…Even if he _has_ thought she was arrogant once or twice.

Their blades connected in a shower of sparks, but this time, they didn't disconnect again. Naruto and the woman's faces were inches apart as she glared at him. "Take it back…" She said quietly, prompting Naruto to grin victoriously that her composure was slipping.

"Nah, I don't think I will." He said unconcernedly. "After all, the Atlesian Military has heavy ties to the Schnee Dust Company, and look how arrogant _they_ are." He could practically _see_ the fury swimming in her eyes.

"…Stop talking…"

"I mean, cargo as important as this and they just send a bunch of pieces of scrap metal, some -by your own words- undertrained and unskilled guards, and you." The grip on her sword tightened.

"…Take it back…"

"If that's not arrogance, then I'm sorry to say I don't know what is. It says a lot about Ironwood, doesn't it? Are you sure someone as foolish as that is leader material? But then again, I'm sure that people like the Schnee family would want someone like that in charge. Easy for you guys to buy out, right?"

"This is your last warning..."

"Hey, I'm not sure how you're related to her, but you probably know Weiss Schnee, right?" It was easy for Naruto to spot her body tensing at the mention. "Is she as stuck up as you are? Actually, don't answer that...She probably is. Both you and her are just a pair of arrogant brats who who live by the book and see the world in black and white."

"Shut! Up!" Naruto's grin widened as he jumped back when the Schnee's anger reached its boiling point. "You've insulted me, the people I respect, and my family repeatedly. And I won't let you continue with it!" She shouted, all forms of grace and composure long since forgotten.

"Aww, is the princess upset? Do you want me to call daddy so he can come and fix all your problems?" With a scream of rage, the Schnee rushed at him again, but the majority of her earlier refinement was lost. _'Heh, I still got it.'_ Pissing people off has always been something of a talent of Naruto's.

Naruto leaned to the side to avoid a sloppy thrust while he responded with a slash of his own, and this pattern went on for the next minute. "I'll. Make. You. Take. It. Back!" She shouted in anger while she attacked, but Naruto was having a much easier time keeping up now. True, she was still extremely fast, but she was thinking less, meaning it was easier to predict her movements.

"I sincerely doubt that." Naruto quipped and looked behind her. "After all, you won't even be able to take back the cargo we're stealing." The woman froze at the reminder. "Oh, did you forget about that? 'Cause I didn't." His sentence was punctuated by a small explosion and a tremor rocking the train they were standing on.

Slowly and mechanically, the woman looked over her shoulder towards the car that Adam had previously entered and saw that it was now detached and starting to separate as it lost speed. Standing at the edge of the car was Adam, who was sneering at her. Feeling a large surge of anger and hatred rush through her, she turned back to Naruto with one of the coldest glares he has ever seen. "You…You…"

"Oh, you're angry, aren't you?" Her answer came in the form of a lunge with her sword. "Yeah you are!"

"You still haven't won." She hissed at him. "I can still defeat you and retrieve the cargo." The woman followed this up with a slash of her sword, but Naruto intercepted it.

Seeing the logic in this, Naruto nodded while their blades were locked. "You can, true…But I won't be going down so easily." Her glare turned darker, if that was possible. She put some distance between them, but immediately closed it again.

"Now who is the arrogant one?" The Schnee asked him after a few moments. "You have been outmatched this entire fight, not even able to completely defend yourself from my attacks. How do you plan to defeat me?"

Naruto tilted his head. "Defeat you? What do you mean by defeat you?" He paused to dodge her blade. "Since when has that been my goal?" Small traces of confusion joined the woman's anger.

" _What?_ "

"Yeah, I haven't been trying to defeat you. I've only been looking for ways to buy time." Naruto said easily. "My goal is to get away with the stuff, remember?"

"And how do you plan to do that with me here?!" She snapped.

"Well, considering the fact that you're _here,_ and the cargo is getting further and further away over _there_ I think just using a bullhead to airlift it out will do nicely." He nodded behind her. "Kind of like that." Once again, the woman stilled, but she soon digested what he said and whirled around, only to see the car was in the distance with a large bullhead flying over it. Multiple White Fang members had joined Adam on the car and they attached cables to it. Because of the car's smaller size and the fact that the bullhead was designed for heavy loads, the car was off the track a moment later. "Huh, well would you look at that. All according to plan!"

The Schnee's body shook in rage. "You…Behind…While I was…"

Naruto's grin just kept getting wider. "Yes, I bought time for them to do that behind your back while you were focused on me due to your anger." He paused. "You should really get those anger issues checked out, by the way."

"You'll pay for this!" She roared as she spun back around to face him. "You will regret the day that you crossed paths with me!" She began to attack him again in fury, making Naruto's eyes widen in alarm.

The hooded blond moved out of the way to avoid a strike that would have taken off his head if it had connected. "You don't take defeat too well, do you?!" He yelled.

"They may have gotten away with the cargo, but _you_ are still here!" She shouted. "And I won't be letting _you_ out of my sight!" Naruto cursed mentally while pushing himself to keep up with her movements. "And once I drag you into prison, I will _personally_ be the one to oversee your questioning! I will enjoy using the things that you can tell me to go after your criminal friends and take _them_ down!"

Naruto's eyes hardened as he jumped back. "What was that?" He growled, gaining a scoff from her.

"I said that after you are imprisoned, your friends are next." She said coldly. "You may all have some fun defying the law and stealing from people now, but it's only a matter of time before you are all caught and punished like the criminals you are." She scowled. "For all that you people -and that includes Torchwick, the White Fang, and whoever else there is- have done, a lot of people will be calling for your blood. And honestly, with my personal history with you all, I'm not totally against the idea." A bright glyph lit up at her feet. "So again, I will _enjoy_ making you be the one who brings about their downfall!" In an explosion of speed, she shot toward him.

Clang!

The woman's eyes widened in shock when Naruto's blade blocked her sword, and instead of giving way, it stood evenly with hers. Her shock multiplied when she saw Naruto's eyes had turned blood red with his pupils becoming slits.

"Threaten me all you like…" Naruto began quietly. "You can do that, you can hurt me, you can do your _damn_ best to crush my spirit…But I will _not_ let you touch my friends." The Schnee recovered quickly and put the glare back on her face.

"And if I do go after your friends? Then what?"

A chilling smirk formed under Naruto's mask. "Then next time, you won't get away with just some minor burns." She didn't even have a full chance to grow confused before the sound of something hissing reached her ears. Snapping her head down, she saw that there was a kunai imbedded in the train car at their feet, but that wasn't the strangest part.

The flaming piece of paper with the strange writing attached to it was.

* * *

 **Nearby**

Naruto tumbled as he roughly hit the ground a few dozen feet behind the train just as an explosion rocked the -now- last car. Gingerly getting up, he looked back to the train. "Thank Kami for shadow clones…And saving a couple of explosive tags for emergencies." He muttered. If he didn't have a clone waiting to switch places with him, that would have sucked.

Knowing that probably would not have finished her off, Naruto turned and sprinted back to where the emergency rendezvous was.

* * *

 **Back on the Train**

Winter Schnee rolled to a stop from her brush with an explosion created by…paper. Scowling, she stood up and assessed the damage done. Her anger at the entire situation grew when she saw that -just as Kitsune predicted- she was unable to completely avoid the blast. Winter had saved herself from most of the possible damage by acting quickly, but she still had a few minor burns.

Clenching her teeth, she scanned the area, but didn't see Kitsune anywhere. Her hand balled into a fist at the knowledge that the rogue huntsman managed to evade capture, despite the fact that she outclassed him by such a wide margin.

' _I am such a fool!'_ How could she let her anger control her like that? She was in control the entire first half of the fight! The only reason it went downhill was because she allowed herself to lose sight of the goal and grow angry. The smart thing to do would have been to neutralize Kitsune immediately, not toy with him by not taking him out right away. Sheathing her sword, she turned and strode into the train.

' _Kitsune…I swear that the next time we meet, you will_ not _get away.'_

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 15!**

 **Heavily referenced the Black trailer, but whatever.**

 **You can't seriously expect me to have Naruto defeat a calm Winter, right? I'm not sure how serious he was in it, but Winter fought evenly with Qrow (Who I refuse to believe is anything but one of the strongest/most badass/awesome-est characters in the show). Added to that, she is older and more experienced than anyone else I've had Naruto fight with so far.**

 ***You think I made her too quickly angered? Sorry, but that was my impression of her character.**

 **I actually hated myself a bit for writing that ending for the fight between Winter and Naruto.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**

* * *

 **Shameless self-advertising!**

 _ **Did you know? Every legend was inspired by something. And while not all legends may be true…There are those legends that ARE based on the achievements of real people. Real men and women. People who have transcended all others, becoming something…more. They become a legend...The scary part? Some legends never die.**_

 **It's happening! My new story Legend of the Silver Shinobi is here! Like Embers of a Shinobi, it's a crossover between Naruto and RWBY.**

 **Update schedule for my three stories is still a bit iffy…As it is right now, I'm going to try and keep Twilight Key updated every Thursday/Friday night, update Embers every Sunday, and then give Silver an update Tuesday/Wednesday. Worst case scenario, I rotate them out, meaning I release a new chapter for whichever is next every 3-5 days. So each one would then get an update every 9-15 days…Unappealing, I know, but that would make it easier for me…**


	16. Chapter 16

**And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 16!**

 **So…How've ya been? Um…Read any good stories lately?**

…

 **Okay, so I've been repeatedly late on updates for my stories (To the point that I didn't meet the deadlines I set after I was already late) …But in my defense, I had finals to focus on. And as much as I like writing fanfiction, it isn't my priority. But look! I come bearing a gift! A brand new chapter!**

 **We passed 1k follows…Freaking awesome! Thanks for that!**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Biju/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Biju/Deity Thinking: _**'Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **A Simple Wok**

"So…How've ya been, brat?" Naruto stilled in the middle of slurping down his ramen and cast a wary glance toward Jack's back. Putting down his bowl, Naruto furiously thought over what the man wanted. He wasn't sure why, but something in that tone made Naruto feel slightly uneasy.

Deciding to use caution, Naruto spoke up. "I've been fine…Nothing much going on." He said evasively.

Jack hummed lightly, but didn't turn away from his work. "Is that right…" He mused. "Nothing at all? No problems?"

"Nope." Naruto said brightly. "Life's been good lately. Things are going pretty well."

"Huh." Jack nodded. "I guess I'm simply crazy then…"

"Guess so." Naruto moved to pick up his bowl again, intent on getting out of there. He wasn't sure what Jack was getting at, but it might be best for Naruto to leave as soon as possible.

"I mean, I'm sure your change in personality is perfectly normal, right?" Jack said easily. "I suppose that means I'm the paranoid one then?" He turned around to face the blond with his arms crossed.

Naruto grinned at him. "Looks like it, huh?" His grin changed into a smirk. "Maybe it has something to with how you're getting up in years?" Naruto knew Jack fairly well. Such a jab would make the man become indignant and shout about how he was still young, all before going back to work while grumbling about stupid brats with a smile.

But this time, Jack didn't respond as expected.

"Cut the crap." Jack ordered quietly, surprising Naruto with the force behind the tone. "Why don't you tell me what's making you act like that?"

A small frown worked its way onto Naruto's face. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Jack. Nothing is wrong." He smirked again. "Or are you really are delusional?"

Jack didn't even twitch. "Then explain to me _why_ you've been acting like that?"

"Acting like _what_?" Naruto was beginning to feel irritated at the unexplained suspicion.

"Starting from a little while ago, you've been acting depressed. That, and you have also been showing signs of paranoia, anxiety, uncertainty, and confusion that goes beyond your typical idiocy." Naruto glared, but Jack wasn't fazed as he instead leaned forward a bit. "So talk. What's got you all worried?"

Naruto smiled again, but it was more hollow. "I'm telling you, nothing is wrong." Jack didn't relent in the least, opting to stare in silence. Eventually, Naruto's smile slipped off his face. "…What gave it away?" He asked.

"You hide it well, I'll give you that, brat…But not well enough." Jack answered. "Now speak. I don't have all day to spend on taking care of a brat."

"I…Something came up recently that really confused me." Naruto admitted. "I've been processing it since then."

Jack nodded and, now that Naruto was cooperating, shifted back to his work. "You gonna tell me what happened?"

"No, I'm not." Naruto denied immediately, prompting Jack to sigh, but the man decided to not overstep his boundaries.

"Would you at least be willing to tell me the basics?" He didn't even need to look back to know that Naruto was giving him a skeptical look. "You say it often enough, brat…I'm older than you and much wiser." He ignored the snort. "Such wisdom makes me at least somewhat capable of giving advice, you know."

Naruto frowned as he considered Jack's offer. "I'm not going to give you every detail…But I'll tell you enough to get the idea." Naruto allowed. "About two and a half weeks ago, I got into an argument with some friends." He began. "It kind of escalated to the point where one person was shouting and throwing around some accusations…"

Catching onto something in his tone, Jack glanced over his shoulder. "…And you don't completely disagree with those accusations." He inferred.

Reluctantly, Naruto nodded. "Yeah…On some level, my friend was completely right…no matter how much I hate admitting it." His depressed expression morphed into a scowl. "But on the other hand, they were wrong." The way he said it caught Jack's attention. "There was so much more to the argument that they just weren't willing to consider." He said darkly.

"Alright…Then have you considered cluing them in on your perspective?"

A scoff escaped Naruto. "No way in hell. Knowing them, that would only make things worse." He said cynically. "They would immediately take it as them being right."

Jack frowned. "This is an argument between you and more than one person, right?" Not seeing the harm in it, Naruto confirmed. "Have _any_ of them heard it from your point of view?"

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah…One of them knows more about why I think the way I do. And realistically, it's the only one of them that would even be _able_ to understand where I'm coming from."

"And? What does that person think?"

"They think…" Naruto paused. "While they aren't the harshest with their opinion, they still don't agree with me." He said. "According to them, the way I think of things won't work."

Jack nodded. "These people are your friends, right?"

"…Yeah…?"

"If they're your friends, and they are all against what you propose, then doesn't that say that you might be wrong?" He glanced over his shoulder and spotted the scowl on Naruto's face. It was at that point something clicked in Jack's mind. "Wait…There's more to it, isn't there? Either they still don't know _everything_ , or you're stuck between two groups of people…" Naruto looked away. "I'm right, aren't I?"

The blond was silent for a minute, but he soon sighed. "That's exactly it…" Naruto said softly. "While they are operating on the facts they do know, they _don't_ know everything…That, and I have other people who support the way I think."

"Hm…Then I can see why you would be reluctant to change your opinions based on what the group you were arguing with said." Jack sent him a flat look. "And? What else?"

Naruto averted his eyes. "What makes you think there's more to it?" Jack rolled his eyes at the question.

"You said this argument started over two weeks ago." Jack drawled. "You stopped by around that time, and you seemed to be normal. The next time I saw you was a few days later, and you were irritated and somewhat jumpy…To the point that you actually took the ramen to go. You never do that unless you're in a hurry." Jack explained. "After _that_ , you came back a couple of days later, and you were like this." He gestured towards Naruto. "Still irritable, but not to the same level. You're also depressed and confused."

"But that doesn't mean th-"

"Let me finish, brat." Jack interrupted. "If the time when you were irritated and in a hurry was after the initial argument, something must have happened to make you shift into this gloomy annoyance."

Naruto glared at him, but he couldn't hold it for long. Slumping his shoulders, Naruto spoke up. "All that happened is that I was confronted by the first group of friends again. They were willing to make up, but…" Naruto's hands balled into fists. "I don't get _why_."

Jack frowned. "Why do you have trouble accepting that?"

"Because it doesn't make sense!" Naruto snapped. "The way I think and the way they think are completely different! I'm willing to use option A to complete the objective, but they deny the entire possibility in favor of option B, which I think isn't good enough. Despite this, they want to act like the argument never happened."

Following Naruto's words, Jack spoke. "You're not focusing the right thing." Naruto blinked in surprise, not expecting such a response.

"…What?"

"I said you're not focusing on the right thing." Jack repeated. "The way I see it, they aren't saying that you need to let go of your opinions, just that they don't want the argument to come in between you and them. They can think their way, and you can think your way."

Naruto shook his head with a sigh. "I can't do that." He said. "It _will_ come up again…But next time, it might be worse." The two of them were thrown into silence, but it was soon broken by Jack.

"Look, brat…" He began. "I'm not saying that you're right and they're wrong, or that you're wrong and they're right…All I'm going to tell you is that you should do what you think is best." Jack turned around to face him. "…Do you think that your way is the best one?" Naruto looked down in thought.

After a minute, Naruto looked back up and locked eyes with Jack. "…I don't know if it's the best one…But I'm sticking with it." He said resolutely, forcing a smirk from Jack.

"Then don't worry about it. As long as you have no regrets, then I don't see a reason to be down about it." Jack told him.

Naruto grinned, somewhat reassured. "'No regrets'…Yeah, sure." He quickly downed the rest of his ramen and stood up. "Thanks for the talk, Jack…It helped."

Jack looked over to him, smirk still in place. "Not a problem, brat." His smirk widened. "It's bad for business when people see a depressed brat hanging around here." Naruto scoffed at this.

"What business? I never see anyone else here." A small frown made its way onto the blond's face. "And to be honest, I'm not sure that I blame them. Jack, your ramen is normally pretty good, but lately it's been kind of…" He trailed off, unsure what to say.

Understanding what he was getting at, Jack nodded. "Normally, I would call you a liar, but you're right…this time." He shrugged. "You know that I'm not the owner of this place, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm not sure if I ever told you, but the old man who owns this stand also runs a store." Jack said. "The store was closed for a while, so the old man hasn't been able to purchase top of the line ingredients."

Naruto grew somewhat concerned. "Is that a big problem?"

Detecting the worry, Jack continued. "Nah, it's over with now. The shop is actually opening back up today, so the old man should be able to purchase the good stuff again." He threw a look of distance at the cabinets. "I'm looking forward to not having to deal with this mediocre crap any more…" Jack waved him off. "So don't worry about it. The next time you stop by, my ramen will be back to being the best you've ever had."

"Huh, I didn't realize it ever was."

"Alright, get lost! I don't need you around here spouting slander!" Jack glared after the snickering form of Naruto as the blond left…But once Naruto was out of sight, the glare of Jack's face fell.

With a sigh, he stopped what he was doing and reached for his scroll.

* * *

 **Warehouse (That Night)**

Naruto walked into the warehouse, idly wondering why Cinder requested that they all meet there, despite the fact that Naruto was given the day off. " _Sorry_ if I've been busy stealing every speck of dust in the kingdom!" Naruto perked up with a grin at Roman's tone.

' _Oh? A chance to mess with the wannabe mobster?'_

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask." Emerald laughed slightly Mercury's snide remark.

Roman glared at Mercury. "Those punks have nothing on what I've managed to do! Police near every dust shop, dust prices higher than ever seen-"

"Teenage girls repeatedly thwarting your plans." Naruto cut him off with a wide grin. As all eyes turned to him, Naruto continued. "I mean, unless getting run off by people who are still students at Beacon is some higher form of strategy that I can't possibly comprehend…" Roman chose to ignore the snickering Mercury and Emerald in favor of glaring at Naruto.

"I would like to remind the peanut gallery that they were _also_ present for those failures!" Naruto shrugged at Roman's accusation.

"True enough, but _you_ were the one in charge of getting out with the goods. _I_ was just there to buy time…Which I did." Naruto tilted his head innocently. "Hey…Doesn't that mean that I have perfectly completed all of my assignments, but you haven't?" Roman's glare darkened. The crime boss opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance to.

"That's enough." Both of their eyes snapped to Cinder at the quiet order. "I don't see a point to assigning blame for previous failures. Instead, focus on making sure they don't happen again." They both nodded. "Good…Moving on, with Naruto's arrival, we can get down to business." Naruto blinked and glanced around again, finally spotting Neo standing next to Emerald, as if she was there the entire time.

Roman fished out a cigar and lit it. "What? You have another heist or something?"

Cinder shook her head. "No…It's time to start phase two." She pulled out a scroll and began to type something. "Roman, I am sending you some coordinates. I want you to begin the preparations needed to clear out this warehouse. We've already stayed here long enough, any longer and we will be compromised." The orange haired man nodded. "You will move out in a few days."

"Sure, sure…"

Naruto frowned minutely. "'You'?" He questioned. "You're not including yourself in that?" Cinder smiled at the question.

"Good catch, Naruto. No, I'm not. Emerald, Mercury, and myself will have already started our own mission. It will be up to you, Roman, and Neo to oversee things here."

"Ah, I got it…"

"Now then, it would be a good idea to have some White Fang members carry out the move at the same time as the unveiling of the Atlesian Paladins." Cinder instructed. "That way, you will be able to move to the new base of operations when you are finished."

"The Paladins are done?" Emerald asked in surprise. "Already?"

Roman smirked. "You got that right. Once our favorite rogue huntsman here and the White Fang's psychopath got the goods, it only took a little bit of tinkering to finish them." He paused to take a drag of his cigar. "Now the Paladins are primed and ready for delivery."

Cinder smiled. "And now that we are making good on our end, Adam will be willing to supply us with more aid."

* * *

 **Beacon Academy (The Next Day)**

Ozpin and Glynda stood side by side while looking out the window of Ozpin's office. From their position, they had a clear view of the small fleet of airships arriving nearby. Even though she didn't have a clear target, a glare was present on Glynda's face.

"I cannot believe the audacity of that man." She said quietly. "Bringing his army here?"

Keeping his face carefully neutral, Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "James is a very busy man. I would think that as he is both the headmaster of his own academy and the head of the military, he has a large amount of important work to be done and people to manage. There can very well be some difficulties for delegating certain tasks to others, so he may see it necessary to oversee things himself."

"That is a nice way to say he doesn't trust others with managing things." Glynda's words garnered no reply. "Am I correct?"

"…I will admit that you are not entirely incorrect." The sound of a notification on his computer prompted Ozpin to turn around. Seeing what it was, he dismissed it. "Come in." The elevator at the other end of the office opened up, revealing Ironwood.

Smiling, Ironwood entered. "Ozpin!" Said headmaster returned the smile and walked forward.

"General."

Ironwood shook his head. "Please, let's not do the whole formality thing." The two met in the center of the room and shook hands. "It's been too long since we last spoke in person." It was then he noticed Glynda. "Ah, Glynda. It's good to see you as well."

Glynda smiled back at him. "Hello, James." The moment the last syllable left her mouth, the smile dropped from her face. "I'll be outside." The two watched as she walked away.

"Well…I see she is still the same." Ironwood offered.

Nodding, Ozpin moved back to his seat. "Yes, well…Glynda has always possessed a certain…no nonsense attitude." He poured a mug and held it out to Ironwood. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure, James? It isn't every day that a headmaster decides to personally travel with his students, Vytal festival or not."

The general accepted the mug. "What, a friend can't come to visit?" He asked amicably. "That, and I also particularly enjoy Vale around this time of year. And what's more, you're the one hosting the tournament this year, how could I possibly pass this up?"

Ozpin hummed thoughtfully. "I can agree with the idea that two friends spending time together can be enjoyable, but I must confess that the small army you brought with you worries me." He steepled his hands. "So let's _truly_ do away with formalities and skip right into business." Ozpin leaned forward. "Why did you bring those men here?"

Ironwood regarded Ozpin for a minute. "You know why I decided to bring them."

"James, we are currently in a time of peace. What you have done here will do nothing but give out the wrong impression." Ironwood set his mug down and placed his hands on the desk to lean forward as well.

"If what Qrow said is true, then our enemies are on the move."

"If what Qrow said is true, then we will take care of it carefully." Ozpin corrected. " _Not_ with a show of force."

His words brought about a small scoff from Ironwood. "'Take care of it'?" Ironwood parroted. "Just like you've been taking care of the group that _broke into and stole_ from one of my facilities?" He asked. "I didn't know your reasons, but I agreed to let you take care of it, but you still have not shown any progress."

Ozpin rubbed his eyes tiredly. "For matters such as this, it is better to do things quietly and not rush in." He responded. "I assure you that things are well in control."

Ironwood crossed his arms. "Really? Then maybe you would care to explain to me why a cargo transport was attacked by the White Fang and some rogue kid named Kitsune?" Ozpin didn't have a reply to that. "Is _that_ what you call taking care of it?"

For the first time since the discussion began, Ozpin felt some irritation seep into him. "I don't see your men doing any better." He shot back. "You and I both know that Operative Winter Schnee was aboard that train, and yet they still managed to get away with their target. In addition to this, I have also received some reports of what appears to be an Atlesian _schoolgirl_ battling with Kitsune on more than one occasion."

A scowl flashed across Ironwood's face. "I won't lie to you, Ozpin. I have sent some people who are under my command out to stop the thefts."

"And like my own attempts, you have also yielded no results." The two stared at each other for a few moments, but Ozpin soon sighed. "Look, James…I do not wish to fight with you over this."

Somewhat reluctantly, Ironwood nodded in agreement. "It would be foolish for us to fight amongst ourselves on this matter." He paused. "So, what do you propose?"

"I propose that we pool together our resources." Ozpin said. "While we may agree to disagree, it is a fact that we both put the safety of the people first." Ironwood slowly nodded. "We can simply share information and coordinate our efforts." He glanced out the window. " _Not_ try cowing the enemies into submission when we still don't know who they are."

"I'm just being cautious."

"As am I…But if you were truly cautious, you would focus on training the next generation to assume their needed roles."

Ironwood quirked an eyebrow and turned away to walk towards the elevator. "That has merit, but do you honestly think that children will be enough to win the coming war?" He didn't wait for an answer before the doors closed behind him.

Once he was gone, Ozpin closed his eyes. "The war has already started, James…And I fear that the children are already involved."

He needed to move quickly, _now_.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy Library**

" _I haven't given up in making you stop what you're doing as Kitsune…But I don't want to lose a friend as I do it."_ Blake sighed quietly to herself as she thought back on her words to Naruto. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but…

Was this really the best way to handle the situation?

At first, she had fully agreed to Ozpin's request of keeping quiet about Kitsune's identity and waiting, but now she wasn't so sure. Blake had agreed because she was under the impression that Ozpin had a plan to get Naruto away from his Kitsune persona, and that he was actively working on it. However, it wasn't until recently that she realized that if Ozpin hasknown for as long as he said, then either whatever he planned wasn't working, or it wasn'tworking _fast enough._

' _He said he's known since two weeks after Kitsune appeared…Kitsune has been rogue for months now! Why hasn't he made a move?'_ Blake wondered in frustration. Sure, Ozpin could very well have some plan in mind, but it all comes back to whether or not it will be too late.

A sudden blur of black and red pulled Blake from her thoughts. Glancing up to see what it was, Blake quirked an eyebrow. _'Sometimes, I really do think that they are best friends…No matter how much Weiss denies it…'_ Ruby had jumped into Weiss' lap, and now the both of them had descended into tears while clinging to one another.

"Stay strong, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!"

"Shut up! Don't touch me!"

' _If you didn't want her touching you, then you wouldn't be hugging her back.'_ Blake thought dryly. As it was there was no class that day, team RWBY had decided to spend the day together playing games…Or at least, the outspoken sibling duo of the team hauled the more reluctant pair to the library to play. Shaking her head, Blake decided to ignore the idiocy before she was dragged into it.

"Alright Blake, you're up!"

' _So much for that plan…'_ Blinking, Blake looked down to the cards in her hand. "Right…What am I supposed to be doing again?"

Yang grinned. "You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant!" She chirped, as if it explained everything.

"That doesn't tell me much…" Blake said quietly.

"Hey, mind if I join in?" A male voice asked. The four girl at the table turned their eyes to the blond boy nervously standing there, and he shrunk in on himself minutely upon getting their attention.

Ruby smiled apologetically. "Sorry Jaune, all the spots are filled for this round. Maybe next game?"

Jaune was a tall teenage boy with dark blue eyes and messy blond hair and, despite his somewhat inept skills as a huntsman, he was relatively toned. He wore a white chestplate and shoulder armor over his black hoodie which had reddish-orange sleeves. Jaune also wore blue pants that were held up by crisscrossing belts. Completing the outfit were brown gloves.

Weiss smirked at him. "Besides that, I doubt that you would be capable of properly creating the needed strategies that such competition demands."

"Says the girl who attacked her own people two turns ago…"

"Quiet, you!" Yang stuck her tongue out in the face of Weiss' glare.

"Hey, I can _so_ keep up with you guys!" Jaune defended. "I have it on good authority that coming up with plans is something that I actually excel at!" He paused. "…Even if I sometimes can't carry them out myself…"

"Who told you that, your mother?" Weiss asked doubtfully.

Jaune stopped his confirming nod partway and hastily spoke up. "Pyrrha too!" Blake looked over the blond male's shoulder to see that Pyrrha appeared to be somewhat startled to be put on the spot, but the redhead still nodded. "Come on, just give me a chance! Lemme play for you for one turn!"

Weiss leaned back and held her cards out of his reach. "Why would I trust you with _my_ cards?"

"Please? I mean, you've trusted me with way more than this! Like how you told my team that Blake is actually a Fau-"

Seeing the danger, Pyrrha dashed over and covered Jaune's mouth and shot a disarming smile at Blake, who narrowed her eyes. "A fun loving person! Uh, and we are all very happy to be friends with her!" Realizing what he was about to say, Jaune rapidly nodded. As one, the human members of team RWBY winced and slowly turned to Blake.

They all averted their eyes when they saw her glare.

Swallowing nervously, Jaune pulled away from Pyrrha. "Right…That's totally what I was going to say…" He laughed nervously before clearing his throat. "Well, I suppose that there's no helping it if you already have enough people." Pyrrha nodded. "So…Bye!"

"'Sup, losers." The greeting prompted them all to face the speaker, and Blake wanted to sigh again when she recognized who it was. Standing next to the table and grinning widely was Sun.

"Hey Sun!" Ruby welcomed cheerfully.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake…" Sun nodded to each of them as he spoke, but he paused on Weiss, who was now glaring at him. "…Ice Queen."

Weiss' glare turned glacial. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?" She demanded.

Ignoring the question, Sun gestured to the teen standing next to him. "I'm not sure if you saw him in the aftermath of your, uh…" He faltered when he realized he didn't know how to phrase his words properly.

"Kickass food fight?" Yang supplied.

Smiling again, Sun sent a thumbs up her way. "Yeah, your kickass food fight. This is Neptune."

"Um…Not to be _that_ guy…but aren't libraries for reading?"

"See?! He gets it!" Nobody paid any mind to Ren's outburst, despite it causing Nora to wake up and shout something about the evil waffle faction burning her pancakes.

Sighing, Sun rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry about him…Neptune is a bit of a nerd."

"Hey! The proper term is 'intellectual'!"

Neptune was a boy with tan skin, dark blue eyes, and messy light blue hair. His outfit was made up of a white dress shirt and black tie under red jacket with a wide, upturned, black collar with a pair of grey jeans that had black padding strapped to the sides. He wore black fingerless gloves and worn on his forehead was a pair of yellow-tinted goggles.

Yang snort quietly. "Yep, definitely a nerd." Her comment earned a glare from both Neptune and Weiss.

Clearing her throat, Weiss spoke up. "I apologize for the disrespect my teammates have the habit of displaying."

The blue haired teen smiled widely at her. "It isn't a problem. I get much of the same treatment from my own team leader…I sometimes wonder how he has even made it this far in life."

"Wha-You mean me?"

Ignoring Sun, Neptune walked around the table to Weiss' side. "May I have the pleasure of hearing your name, Snow Angel?"

Jaune huffed and crossed his arms. "Tch. Like that is really gonna wo-"

"Weiss."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Why didn't she give _him_ the time of day when he tried that?!

Neptune winked at her. "Well, Weiss…It's a pleasure to meet you." Weiss' response was a raised eyebrow, but even she couldn't fully stop the slight warmth spreading across her cheeks.

Rolling his eyes at Neptune's actions, Sun turned back to Blake with a grin. "So…I didn't think you'd be into board games." Blake didn't respond, long having retreated back into her thoughts. When a few seconds went by and he didn't get anything, Sun's grin morphed into a small frown. "Blake?" He asked quietly.

Blinking, Blake was pulled from her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Weiss' eyes narrowed as the others traded glances.

Now that he had her attention, Sun decided to try again. "I said I didn't think that you'd be into games like this." Blake's eyes trailed down to the game on top of the table. Soon, a small frown made its way onto her face.

"I'm not…" She set her cards down and stood up. "Someone else can take over for me. I'm done." Not giving them a chance to say anything, Blake hurried towards the door. In the wake of her abrupt departure, no one was sure what to say.

Until low whistle broke the silence. "Wow. Some girls are _crazy_."

It went without saying that no one pointed out to Nora that she was probably the craziest girl in the area.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

" _The world isn't split between black and white!"_

" _You do things your way and I'll do them mine."_

" _I realized that if I do things your way, then I will be too damn late!"_

" _I_ know _that I'm the bad guy here. But I'm perfectly okay with that."_

" _You lose, Blake. I'm sorry."_

" _I am going to ask you to_ not _divulge this information to anyone, including the other members of your team."_

" _It's too late for that, Blake."_

Blake clutched her legs tighter as her mind raced through everything that happened in the last couple of weeks. Now that she finally had some time away from her teammates, she _really_ thought things through. _'I can't believe I actually agreed to do nothing but wait.'_ She must have really been distressed at the time for her to simply agree with Ozpin.

A determined expression formed on her face. _'I'm done waiting.'_ Standing up, Blake began to make her way toward the door. Unfortunately for Blake, the other three members of her team chose that moment to return. Averting her eyes to not encourage conversation, Blake sped up.

While Yang and Ruby were too engrossed to notice Blake leaving, Weiss noticed. Narrowing her eyes, she called out. "Hold it right there." Both Blake and Ruby froze in place. Cursing in her head, Blake slowly turned to face her. "Recently you've been quiet, antisocial, and moody…more so than usual!"

Yang smirked. "Do you even _know_ who you're talking about? It's Blake."

Huffing, Weiss continued. "I said more than usual! You said that you would come to us next time a problem came up…" She crossed her arms. "So tell me. Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"…Blake?" Ruby took a tentative step forward.

Blake took a deep breath. "I just…I don't understand how we can act as if nothing is wrong."

Ruby frowned. "You're still thinking about Torchwick?" Blake shook her head.

"Torchwick, the White Fang…" _'Naruto'_ "Kitsune, all of it! Something is going on and nobody is doing anything to stop it!"

"Ozpin told us not to worry." Yang said. "Between the police and huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle whatever happens."

"It's nice that _you're_ convinced, but _I'm_ not!What has Ozpin been doing to stop them? What does he have to show for his _efforts_?" Ozpin was just sitting in his office, drinking his coffee, and not even doing anything about Naruto beyond asking her _not_ to say anything!

Weiss smiled raised her hands in a placating manner. "Look, between imagining yourself as a hero, trashing private property, and interfering with criminal activities, I'm sure that the three of you think you're all ready for running out there and putting a stop to the 'bad guys'…" The smile dropped from her face, a glare taking its place. "But I'd like to remind you _again_ that we're students!"

"Well yeah, but-"

"But _nothing,_ Ruby! We aren't the ones who should be doing something about this!"

"If we don't, who will?!" Blake's shout caught them all off guard. "Ozpin, the police, the huntsmen and huntresses, none of them are actually doing anything! We _know_ that Torchwick, the White Fang, and Kitsune are out there. We _know_ that they have been robbing people and gathering resources. And we _know_ that they won't just sit around and wait for us to graduate! By the time that people like Ozpin think it's the right time to make a move, it will be _too_ _late_!"

Weiss, Ruby, and Yang traded unsure looks at Blake's outburst. Swallowing nervously, Ruby walked up and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder. "Blake…?" She said quietly. "Is…Is there something more to this? I mean…We're all worried about this, but you seem to be even more worried than we are." She hesitated. "What's about this is bothering you so much?

Blake closed her eyes. Shaking her head, she answered. "I'm worried." She confessed. "I'm worried that things are going to go too far, and we won't be able to fix it."

They all grew quiet, unsure what to say.

Eventually, Weiss joined Ruby at Blake's side. "Look…I get that I might not be the… _nicest_ of people, but I'm still your teammate." She frowned and, after thinking it over for a moment, placed a hand on Blake's other shoulder. "And more important than that, I would like to consider us as friends." Blake's eyes widened. "So if there is something that is bothering you, and it's something that I can help you with, then please tell me." Yang and Ruby smiled.

Walking over as well, Yang came to a stop in front of her partner and placed her hands on her hips with a smirk. "What she said. We're all friends here, so why worry about this on your own?" Blake looked between the two of them.

Ruby's smile threatened to split her face. _'Best. Team. Ever!'_ "And as the fearless leader of team RWBY and your friend, I promise to do my best to help too!" It was her turn to be put under Blake's stare, but unlike any other time, she didn't shy away.

A small smile appeared on Blake's face. "You're right…I'm sorry for how I've been acting."

Nodding in acceptance, Weiss retracted her hand and crossed her arms again. "Good. Now that that's taken care of, spill it. What's gotten you acting even more…like you lately?"

Rolling her eyes, Blake ignored the barb. "I haven't told you this, but I know more about Kitsune than I've said…" She sat down on her bed and gestured for the others to sit down as well. Seeing this, Ruby hopped up onto her bed, Weiss remained standing, and Yang sat down in a chair.

"What exactly do you mean more about Kitsune than you've said?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"Well…" Blake rubbed her forearm uncomfortably. "You guys know that I used to be a member of the White Fang, right?" Two nods and a small look of distaste. "The day before I…quit, for lack of a better word, I met Kitsune."

Ruby gasped. "You did?! Why didn't you say anything?! What was he like? I mean, I guess you can say that I've talked to him too, but it wasn't really talking. It was more fighting than anything. Also, do you know why he-"

"Ruby, enough!" Weiss decided it would be best to cut her off before she _really_ got going. "You've met Kitsune?" Blake nodded. "As in, you have _spoken_ with him?" Another nod made Weiss' eyes narrow. "Moving on from the fact that you've held a conversation with a dangerous criminal, what does that have to do with the way you've been acting lately?"

"We've had all this talk about Kitsune is a bad guy, how he needs to be stopped, and that there's no excuse for what he's done, but…" Blake trailed off, but it was easy for Weiss and Yang to pick up where she was going with it.

"You think he isn't that bad!" Weiss proclaimed. "After everything he's stolen, everything he's _done,_ you think that he is actually a good person?!"

"I never said that what he is doing is good!" Blake denied. "All I'm saying is that Naruto was right, there _is_ more to it than simply assuming that he is evil because he steals stuff."

Weiss' glare clearly stated how she felt about that. "Is that right? And what makes you think that way? What do you know that makes you feel that Kitsune isn't that bad of a person?"

"I know why he became a criminal." Those seven words brought Weiss up short. The Schnee sputtered for a moment as Ruby and Yang's eyebrow's shot up.

"Yo-You _know_ why he became a criminal?" Weiss growled. "Please, enlighten us to just _what_ justifies becoming a criminal? What _reason_ could he possibly have?!"

"He became a criminal because putting his trust in the _good guys_ ended up with children being left to die!"

Dead silence.

"W-What?" Ruby's face was even paler than normal. "What does that mean? The good guys are the good guys. They don't abandon people!"

Blake's hands balled up into fists. "You want to know why Kitsune thinks that he is at least somehwat in the right? It's because he learned the hard way that some people who _should_ be those you can go to for help, aren't always what they seem…Kitsune was in that park a few months ago. The one where the bullhead crashed."

"Alright, but how does that amount to people letting children die?" Yang asked.

"I don't know every detail." Blake said quietly. "All I know is what I've learned from Kitsune, but the way it sounds, Kitsune was in that park, and he blames both the 'protectors' and himself for the deaths of those people. The protectors were apparently the police who lied to him and said that everyone got out safe, even though there were still people in danger, and himself for…not being able to do more." Weiss recoiled at this while Yang's eyes narrowed into a scowl.

Ruby's hand came up to her mouth as a look of shock and horror formed. "B-But that's…The police are the ones who…That can't be true!" She denied, earning a glare from Blake.

"Well it is! Ten people died that day, and seven of them were kids! Kitsune was there, and with his cloning ability, he probably could have gotten everyone out!" Blake shook her head in disgust. "But _no_! Instead, he was told by a police officer that everyone was safe, but it wasn't true!" Blake stood up and threw her hands up in outrage. "That police officer was a _racist bastard_ who only cared that all the humans got out of there safely! But Kitsune didn't know that! So he trusted the bastard and didn't bother looking for others!" Admittedly, Blake wasn't sure if _all_ of that was correct, but she has heard enough to put the clues together.

Weiss swallowed nervously. "T-That's…But…"

"Because of _that,_ Kitsune came to the conclusion that he can't have faith in the 'good guys'. What's more, he has done nothing but stall for time, _every time_ he fights. Not once has he done more to us than hit us around a bit or knock us out, right Ruby?" Ruby shakily nodded while Blake's glare darkened. "So please, tell me if _that_ sounds like the 'worst of the worst'?"

It took several moments for Weiss to somewhat regain her composure. "T-That doesn't change the fact that he works with people like Roman Torchwick and the White Fang." Weiss said defiantly. "We at least know that _they_ are the worst of the worst. So by consorting with them, it brings Kitsune down to their level."

Blake gritted her teeth. "Uh, hello? _I'm_ a former member of the White Fang!"

"Exactly! You're a _former_ member!" Weiss shouted. "You left it all behind and decided to actually make yourself a better person! Kitsune hasn't! That shows that he-"

"A better person like the police who disregard the lives of children?!" Weiss' mouth snapped shut. "Naruto and Kitsune are right! The world isn't black and white!" No matter how much Blake _hated_ to admit it, there was some truth to Naruto's words. "Kitsune realized this, and he decided to _forcefully_ change things! His said that he's willing to get over himself and do things he doesn't like doing!"

"Even if his intentions are good, it doesn't change the fact that Kitsune _himself_ isn't good!" The two of them panted as they stared at each other. Bringing a hand up, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look…I get that you think that he isn't that bad, and that in a way, he really isn't…but no matter his reasons, it _doesn't_ excuse the fact that he is consorting with terrorists and murderers."

"But Kitsune _still_ isn't on their level." Blake responded. "There are people who are much, much worse…" A certain redhead White Fang member came to mind. "So don't lump them all together as if they are all the same…"

Yang sighed. "So, what now?" She asked. "After hearing this, how do we move forward?"

Weiss frowned. "I'm sticking with my opinion that Kitsune is a criminal and should be taken in…" She grimaced. "But I must admit that this _does_ change things somewhat…" Her words prompted Blake into quirking an eyebrow.

"And what does that mean?"

The Schnee averted her eyes. "It means…that perhaps there is some merit in what Naruto said…" She thrust a finger out and pointed it at Blake. "Once again, I still think he should be caught!" Blake frowned and glanced at the others.

Her eyes came to a stop at the pale and shaky form of Ruby.

Realizing what this conversation may be doing to her perspective of good and bad, Blake spoke up. "Ruby?" Weiss and Yang's eyes snapped to the youngest member of the team.

Seeing her sister's state, Yang quickly got up and jumped onto the bed. "Ruby?" She snaked an arm around Ruby. "Hey, sis? You alright?" The concern in Yang's voice was obvious.

Ruby took a shaky breath. "I-I don't understand…" Wide silver eyes met lilac. "Those were the police, right? The good guys? How can they…How can they act like that?" She shook her head as Yang pulled her in closer. "It doesn't make sense!"

Yang momentarily bit her lip. "I'm not going to tell you it's alright, Ruby…But you gotta understand, there are some people out there who really _are_ terrible people…Those are the types of people that we've been talking about."

"But kids that maybe could have been saved _died!_ "

"And that's why people are so mad." Yang replied. "Don't start thinking the worst of people just because of a few bad examples."

Ruby nodded. "Y-You're right…" An expression of determination slid onto her face. "That's why I want to become a huntress…I want to help people! I'll just help enough people that it won't matter if there are others who don't want to protect everyone. I'll pick up their slack!" She declared. Unseen to her, the other three occupants of the room traded glances.

No one wanted to tell her that it was impossible to save everyone.

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 16!**

 **So…Once again, sorry for the late update. But it works out because I'm pretty much back on schedule. Also, I** _ **think**_ **the next one will be a shorter update. I would just do it now and add it to this chapter, but I need to play catch-up with two other stories...**

 **Props to those who caught the small DBZ reference.**

 **Not sure who it was, but a few chapters back, someone told me that I stated the incorrect number of people died in the park…No I didn't? I went back to check, but I've been consistent…I think.**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


	17. Chapter 17

**Volume 4 got me into the mood to finally work on this again, so I purged this chapter of all those horrible mistakes that were in it. I also improved the fight scene at the end a little bit. Looking back, I didn't put enough effort into it, and I apologize for that.**

 **Not sure when the next chapter will come, but at the latest, it will** _ **probably**_ **be sometime around the one-year anniversary of this story.**

 **No, Chapter 18 is not up. That was me accidentally uploading this as 18. Sorry about that.**

* * *

 **And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 17!**

* * *

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...**

* * *

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: _'Insert witty remark here.'_

Bijū/Deity Talking: **"Insert witty remark here."**

Bijū/Deity Thinking: **_'_** _ **Insert witty remark here.'**_

Scene Change: **Insert Place Here**

Jutsu/Technique: **Insert Jutsu Here**

* * *

 **Previous Time I Was Here: 11/9/16 (Improving the chapter from the utter piece of crap that it was before)**

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

' _Ammo?'_ A hand lightly patted against her pouch, verifying its contents. _'Check. Scroll?'_ She pulled it out of pocket and turned it on to see the remaining power. _'98% is a check. My baby?'_ A grin formed as she placed Crescent Rose onto her lower back. _'Where else would she be? Check! Super cool outfit?'_ She glanced down and verified that, yes, her new outfit was awesome.

The new outfit was made up of a long sleeve, light grey shirt under a black pinafore with two vertical lines of stitching. She also had on a red skirt -Because battle skirts were functional _and_ great looking- with a black version of her personal rose emblem, and to top it off, she even had a cape!

' _S_ _uper happy to give that a check! And finally...'_ Ruby spun around. "My awesome team!" She smiled brightly at the other three occupants of the room, but only got a blank stare, an amused glance, and an irritated huff in return. Like Ruby had been doing, Blake, Yang, and Weiss were all going over final checks before they all headed out. Each of them also had on different outfits for their 'mission'.

"Can you please not be so..." Weiss seemed to struggle to find an adequate word to use. "... _you_?"

Ruby brushed off the mildly offensive remark, knowing that it was simply her female best friend's way of interacting with her. "But I can't help it! We're finally getting back to our investigation!"

"Yes, and that investigation is one that involves terrorist organizations and other dangerous criminals. Take this seriously!" Weiss rebuked.

"Oh, if we're going to be serious about this, then we need a plan." Yang interjected. "Lucky for you guys, I just so happen to have on-"

"Rejected!" Weiss quickly cut her off, aware that anything Yang came up with would doubtlessly involve some form of brute force...or seduction.

"But you didn't even hear my plan fi-"

"I said rejected! I don't want to hear anything you have to propose!" Weiss shouted. "Listen up. As the only one out of us whose sanity has never been pulled into question..." She ignored the two glares and a pout. "I will be the one who issues the plan and roles."

Ruby's pout grew. "But I'm the team leader..."

"And _I'm_ the person who doesn't care. You will be following my lead on this." Weiss crossed her arms. "Now that that's taken care of...Ruby, you and I will be heading to the CCT to check on some other Schnee robberies or inconsistencies. There is only so much I can get on a scroll..." She turned to Blake. "Are there any hotspots for White Fang activity? Ones that don't result in getting noticed would be nice."

After a brief moment of thought, Blake spoke up. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings that act as a way for giving out orders and gathering new members. I can probably sneak into it."

Weiss hesitantly nodded. "That sounds good, but be careful." If it was either Ruby or Yang instead of Blake, then Weiss would have denied it on the spot. "And lastly-"

"Seriously, Ice Queen. At least hear my idea out." Scowling both at the name as well as the words, Weiss reluctantly nodded. "There's a guy on the other side of Vale who is something of an information broker. I'm willing to bet that he knows something about Torchwick and what he's been up to. And to top it off, me and this guy are buddies." Yang paused. "...Sort of.

Yang's proposal surprised Weiss. "That's actually...not a terrible idea. Fine then, go ahead and do that." Yang grinned and saluted.

"You got it, your royal frostiness!"

Ruby bounced up and down. "So it's a plan! We can meet up later to by Yang to pool our information." She pumped a fist into the air. "Are you ready?!"

"You know it!" All eyes snapped to the window at the unexpected voice. Hanging there was Sun. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Sun?" Blake's face momentarily slipped from its normally blank expression.

"Hey, monkey boy." Yang greeted. "What are you doing there?"

Sun waved at her. "Just...hanging out." The two blonds chuckled at the lame joke. "I do it all the time."

Weiss' glare darkened. "You do what?! How often does this happen?!"

"Often enough. I like climbing trees." Weiss attempted to calm herself down, but she twitched when Sun jumped into their room and landed next to her. "So, we're finally getting back at that Torchwick guy and his goons? About time!"

A growl escaped Weiss' throat. "The four of _us_ are going out to investigate _. You_ are going to not interfere."

Ruby smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Sun. This is something the four of us want to do alone. We'd rather not get others involved."

The blond Faunus waved her off. "Uh, hello? I was there in the shipyard. I already _am_ involved! If anyone still has a chance to back out, it's the two who weren't there that night." Weiss took a menacing step forward, prompting Sun to give her a nervous glance. "So in conclusion, I'm coming whether you want me to or not."

"Listen, you infuriating little-"

"Relax a bit, Weiss. He's right about already being involved, so we might as well include him." Yang said.

Seeing that she was correct, Weiss reluctantly relented. "...Fine..." Sun brightened upon hearing this.

"Great!" He leaned out the window. "Hey, Neptune! You can come in now!"

"...That's nice to hear you say, but can I get a confirmation from the owners of the room?"

"He's here too?!" Weiss cried out in shock. Pushing her way by Sun, she looked out the window. " _Why_ are you here too?" Neptune was perched on a small ledge outside their window, doing his best not to fall.

Neptune attempted to sound aloof, but there was still some tension in his voice. "I'm here because my team leader insisted on finding out what you guys were up to. And I'm outside on a high up ledge because the same team leader _doesn't know how to use_ _a door_!" Weiss couldn't help but sympathize somewhat with him for also having a team leader with quirks.

"Well, I suppose it would be best if you come in." They would probably be held at least somewhat accountable if he fell.

The blue haired teen sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Oum." He said quietly and climbed in.

"Now then, are we leaving or what?" Sun asked.

' _Calm, Weiss. Remain calm...'_ Weiss took several deep breaths and spoke up. "We agreed to let _you_ join us, not your teammate."

"Well, I figured that if the other two people who fought Torchwick could bring two extra people, then I would be able to bring one." Sun supplied. "Don't worry about it. Neptune is cool."

"You know it."

Weiss' mouth opened and closed as she attempted to find something to say, but she soon gave up. "I'm done with trying to reason with you. Come if you want."

A small grimace appeared on Neptune's face. "So we're really going up against Roman Torchwick?"

"And Kitsune." Yang added with a smirk. "Why? You scared?"

"Psh! Scared? Me?" Neptune scoffed. "No way am I scared."

"Your higher pitched voice says otherwise." Yang shot back. "But maybe it's just my imagination. If you're not scared, then you won't mind coming along with me to the shady part of Vale!"

Neptune's eyes widened. "W-With you?" He stammered. "Uh, wouldn't it be best if I go with someone else?"

"No, that's a great idea!" Ruby interjected. "Neptune can go with Yang while Sun goes with Blake. This way, everyone has a partner!" She pointed towards the ceiling. "As team leader of RWBY, I decree this to be our mission pairings!"

"Wait just a minute! Didn't I say that I would be the one making decisions here?!"

"Rejected." None of Weiss' teammates hesitated to throw that back at her.

Sun grinned and walked over to stand next to Blake. "Looks like I'm with you. We're going to some White Fang meeting, eh?"

"Yes."

Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand and dragged her towards the door and opened it. "We all have our assignments, let's move out!"

Realizing that there was no longer a point in arguing, Weiss pulled her hand free with a glare. "I am very capable of walking on my own, thank you." Weiss turned back to room. "If you find anything of significance, contact the rest of us." She instructed.

"Come on! Let's go!" Not wanting to wait any longer, Ruby dashed out the door and into the hall.

She only got a few feet when she came to a forced abrupt stop.

"Ow!"

"Watch it!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Hearing the commotion, the others rushed out the door to find Ruby, a girl with green hair, and a boy with silver hair sprawled out on the floor. Standing off to the side was another girl with black hair and amber eyes.

Yang quickly rushed forward and helped her sister off the ground. "I've told you to watch where you're going. You shouldn't even be moving that fast when you're inside, Ruby!" Unseen to them, the green haired girl's attention snapped to the other girl on the floor.

"Sorry..."

The silver haired teen glared as he pushed himself to his feet, the green haired teen getting up as well. "Oh good, you're apologizing. And I'll be sure to apologize when I kick your hea-"

"Mercury." The amber eyed girl interrupted him before he could say anything too bad. "I'm sure it was simply an accident."

Ruby hastily nodded. "It was! Honest!"

The amber eyed girl smiled. "We understand. It can be difficult to avoid people in halls like this when you are in a hurry." She glanced at the people behind Ruby. "Such a large group will make it even more difficult, of course."

' _She's really understanding...'_ Based on first impressions so far, Ruby decided that she liked this girl...Although something about her eyes were a little familiar. "Um, are you three new?"

The amber eyed girl smiled. "We're visiting from Haven."

Silver eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, you're here for the festival! Visiting students have their own dorms, actually. They're in the other building." The other girl nodded in understanding.

"I see. Thank you for that information." Gesturing to her companions, she continued. "We got a little lost, but we'll head there now."

Happy to have helped someone, Ruby smiled. "Not a problem! Welcome to Beacon!"

"Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around." With that, the three walked away.

Ruby waved after them for a few moments. "The guy with silver hair seems a little grumpy, but the girl who didn't get knocked down is nice." She commented.

Weiss huffed. "I can't believe you. You make terrible first impressions on nearly everyone you meet." She ignored Ruby's sputtering denial and walked off. "If we're going to do this, then let's go. It would be a good idea to get started."

* * *

Emerald glanced over her shoulder and shot a friendly smile at Ruby. As she turned back, she spoke quietly. "Cinder...The blond girl called the girl who ran into us 'Ruby'."

Cinder moved her eyes to Emerald. "I noticed."

"Isn't that the name of Naruto's friend?" Cinder looked back in the direction they were walking. Slowly, a smirk formed on her face as her amber eyes gained an eerie glow.

"Yes...I do believe that was her name."

* * *

 **City of Vale (Later)**

Neptune glanced around nervously while following behind Yang. "Do you seriously know someone here?" His eyes landed on doors in front of them, where two men in a red and black suits were gaping at the sight of Yang. "Oh...I guess you do. And _how_ exactly do you know these people?" Those expressions of fear weren't normal.

Yang have him an innocent smile. "A girl's gotta have some fun every once in a while, right?"

"She's back! Someone tell the boss!" Neptune's apprehension grew when the two grown men scrambled inside at the sight of Yang.

"...What is your definition of fun?!"

The question brought about a false moment of thought from Yang. "Just a little destruction of public and private property along with assault on multiple individuals." She brightened. "But don't worry! I'm pretty sure that only a couple of people needed to stay overnight in the hospital."

He swallowed. "...Y-Yeah...Fun..."

"I'm glad you agree!" She moved to the door. "Now come on, let's say hello."

"Didn't they lock it?" Neptune asked, more to himself than to her.

"I think so...But why does that matter?" Grinning wildly, Yang uncompressed her weapons. "They know how much I like breaking stuff, so they close the doors so I can destroy them!"

' _That's not why they did it...'_

"Knock knock!" Rearing a fist back, Yang brought it forward and crashed it into the doors, sending them flying into the building. Walking in, Yang called out. "Hey guys! Guess who's back!" Numerous guns were immediately pointed at her.

"How can you call these people friends?!" Neptune hissed. "They don't look like friends!"

"Stop! If anyone shoots, _you idiots_ will be the one paying for the damages this time!" A voiced interjected. A moment later, the owner of the voice pushed his way to the front of the group. "Blondie...You're back...Great."

Yang grinned at the man. "Hey there, Junior! Good to see you again." She grabbed his arm and directed him to the bar. "Come on, you're gonna give me a drink while we talk some things over."

"I'd rather we not do that, if possible."

"Oh, that's so cute. You think you have a choice!"

"...Of course I don't...Where the hell did I get a stupid idea like that?"

* * *

 **White Fang Meeting**

Naruto, dressed up as Kitsune, looked out over the gathering of White Fang members of new recruits. Instead of joining Neo and Roman on the stage, he was standing up on a catwalk above everyone. Reaching up to his earpiece, he spoke. "How much longer until it starts?"

" _According to what I'm told, we will start in a minute."_ Roman's voice came over the transmission. _"They are apparently waiting for a few stragglers."_

"Understood." Naruto glanced at the crowd again, attempting to estimate how many people were here. _'That's at least a hundred people...And they hold these things how often?'_ Although most of the people were already members, there were at least a few dozen new recruits present. Naruto's attention was caught by a man stepping on the stage, and he recognized him as a lieutenant.

The lieutenant stopped at the center of the stage and spoke to the crowd. "Comrades, thank you all for coming to this meeting tonight. For those of you who are here on their first gathering, allow me to introduce a special ally of ours. Despite some initial skepticism, he has proven himself to be vital on us obtaining our goal!" He stepped aside as Roman walked out. The second the crowd saw him, whispers swept through the room.

"So it's true?"

"He really is working with the White Fang!"

"How can we trust a human?!"

Ignoring he chatter, Roman waved to the room. "Such a warm welcome! Thank you all!"

"What reason could that bastard possibly have for being here?!"

That last shout brought a smile to Roman's face. "What do I have to offer?" Roman chuckled. "Oh, I have a _lot_ to offer." He began to ace the length of the stage. "I'll freely admit that humans are terrible people. And out of those terrible people, I am probably one of the worst ones. So your anger? I get it! It completely makes sense why you would want to be rid of us."

"How could a human like you understand?!"

Roman raised his hands in a placating manner. "Hey, relax. We have more in common than you think." He began to walk back and forth again. "Hear me out. Every single one of us here has a common enemy…The people in control! It isn't _my_ fault that you are thrown out of restaurants simply because of how you look, it's the fault of the restaurant owners. The reason that you are looked at with such distaste? It's because the government officials refuse to give you equal standing to the humans?" Murmurs were sweeping through the crowd.

' _As much as I hate to admit it, he actually does know how to please a crowd…'_

"The reason that your children are bullied? It's because the human only schools portray your people as some kind of monsters!" Roman spun around to face the crowd. "The reason that more of your people have been left to die than needed? It's because some humans decided it was necessary in order to protect their own kind first." By now, the audience was shouting again, but in support of Roman's words.

* * *

Blake glanced around in dismay as she watched her fellow Faunus get so easily pulled into what Roman was saying. "How can they buy into this so easily?" She whispered to Sun.

"Because he isn't wrong." Blake snapped around to look at him in shock. "Nothing this bastard is saying is wrong. Everything has been proven time and again, and that's why these people are agreeing with him." He looked to her. "After all, isn't that why you fought with the White Fang in the first place?"

Not having anything to say, Blake turned back to the stage.

* * *

"So I ask you…Why should you lie down and take it? Don't you deserve your equal lot in life? Why should the _humans_ be put above you? Above your needs? Above your _children's_ needs? The answer…" He paused for dramatic effect. "You shouldn't!" The crowd cheered. "It's time to _strike back!_ Don't let the humans walk all over you anymore! Stand up and fight!" He stepped off to the side. "And I know exactly how to do it!" With a snap of his fingers, the curtain of the White Fang insignia fell, revealing a completed Atlesian Paladin.

"This right here is Atlas' newest weapon against all the scary things in the world…Things like a portion of the population who fight for their rights." Roman declared. "Lucky for us, we managed to get an early deal on them. And you know how that happened? It happened because of both myself and my companions working with the lovely people of the White Fang!" Suddenly, a spotlight shone on Naruto's position, forcing him to raise a hand to shield his eyes. Looking to the source, Naruto glared when he saw Neo cheekily waving at him from next to the light. "More specifically, our good friend Kitsune here has run several operations with your organization to seize the parts. Let's give him a round of applause!"

Naruto glared at Roman for the latest attempt to annoy him, but none of the White Fang members noticed. Instead, they enthusiastically cheered for him as well. _'This was unnecessary.'_

* * *

' _Naruto.'_ Blake stared up to the catwalk, trying to get a better look at him.

"Well, we thought he would be here. It's not much of a surprise." Sun commented.

' _So Naruto has been joining the White Fang on their raids?'_

* * *

Pulling the attention back to himself, Roman continued. "Many of your comrades have already shipped out to other places where they are needed. I get it if you would prefer to stay in the city…But if you are _truly_ serious about joining this fight, then you can expect things like this to be provided to you. Anyone have any questions?"

Naruto sighed as the crowd burst into applause, feeling torn over the entire speech. On one hand, he knew that some of the White Fang members really did see this as a chance to get revenge.

And _that_ was something he was against on every level.

He was fighting to make things right, not for some petty bid to get even. That was Sasuke's thing, not his. Yes, Naruto has lashed out a couple of times in retaliation, but he has never devoted himself to the cause of turning the tables on the enemy and putting them in the position that they put their victims in.

But on the other hand, Naruto couldn't stop himself from at least somewhat agreeing with Roman's words. There were several points that Roman said that struck closer to home than Naruto would have liked, so he couldn't say that any of them were false.

He shook his head. _'Let's just hurry and finish up here.'_

* * *

 **Junior's Club**

"How could you not know anything?!" Yang shouted.

"I'm able to not know anything by not getting _told_ anything!" Junior said in annoyance. "The last time I saw that bastard was the night you came in here. He paid the usual monthly fee for my men and then left, that's it. He stopped paying after that, and I stopped lending him my men."

Out of nowhere, Neptune rushed up to the bar. "So you admit to working with him?"

Junior stared at the blue haired teen in disbelief. "Didn't I already say that all I've done is lent him my men? That they never told me anything?" He looked back at the blond and nodded to Neptune. "Who is this moron?"

Frowning, Yang shoved an elbow into Neptune's gut, sending him back and onto the floor. "Forget the nerd."

A weak cough was heard. "I…Intellectual."

"Worry about how much I'm going to _hurt you_ if you don't tell me what I want to know!" Yang continued.

"For the last time, I don't have the damn information you want!"

Yang glared. "So out of all the times Torchwick came around to pay for your men, he never said anything useful? Not his plans? His resources? His goals? _Nothing_? He just came in here, walked out, and that's it? He never did _anything_ else?"

"That's what I've been saying!" Junior shouted. "The asshole never told me much, and honestly, I would have been skeptical of how he's gotten this far if he was loose lipped. He always did the same thing. He paid, acted like a jackass, and then left. No more, no less. It never changed." He paused. "…Actually, the last time there was something different…"

Immediately, Yang's interest was caught. "Oh? Do tell."

Junior absently rubbed his chin in thought. "There was this one thing that I thought was weird, but I didn't put too much thought into it."

"Enough stalling, what was it?" Yang's demand prompted Junior to glare at her, but she wasn't fazed.

"Torchwick came in with some kid." Yang blinked. "The brat didn't even look old enough to get into Beacon yet, but he might have been around Signal age."

"A kid?" Yang repeated. "A young one? With Torchwick?" Her eyes widened. _'That might have been Kitsune!'_ Yang scowled at Junior. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because _someone_ messed up my entire memory of that night!" Junior shot back.

Ignoring the truth of the statement, Yang leaned forward. "Tell me about this kid. What did he look like? Did you talk to him? Did you get a name?"

"I never saw what the kid looked like. He didn't take off his hood…At least not when I was conscious." Junior frowned as he attempted to remember the night. "I did talk to him for a bit. He seemed nice enough…To the point that it was surprising that someone like him was hanging out with Roman Torchwick. But I let the conversation go because I knew that there was a chance that I could get involved something I didn't want to be."

His words made Yang deflate. "So again, you can't tell me anything useful."

Junior growled. "I guess not, _sorry_. I don't even understand why you're asking me about the kid. You saw him too."

Her eyes blinked in surprise. "I did?" Junior nodded.

"Yeah, you did. You don't remember? He was the kid eating the ramen."

Yang's entire body froze. There was only one person Yang saw eating ramen that day, and that was…

' _Naruto…'_

Lilac eyes instantly bled red.

The club owner yelped when a hand shot out and roughly grabbed his tie to pull him closer. Junior paled when he saw the angry snarl on Yang's face. "You had _better_ be joking…"

"I-I'm not! I swear!" That was not the answer Yang wanted to hear. "The kid stayed behind to eat some ramen! After that, you showed up! You know what happened afterwards! The next time I woke up, the club was empty and destroyed!"

Growling, Yang shoved Junior back and whirled around. Without saying another word, she stalked towards the exit. Seeing this, Neptune scrambled back to his feet in order to follow.

* * *

 **White Fang Meeting**

Naruto had his arms crossed as he waited out the rest of the meeting. It was only a little bit longer until they would finally head to the new hideout, and then he would be able to just go to sleep. Looking down at the occupants of the warehouse, he watched the new recruits line up where directed.

Scanning over the heads of the crowd, Naruto found himself absently noting what type of Faunus each person was. So far, he had seen dog tails, tusks, cat ears, antlers-

He stilled.

' _Cat ears?_ Black _cat ears?'_ Dread pooling in his stomach, Naruto searched for the person who he had spotted a second ago. Eventually, he found her. From where he was standing, Naruto judged her to be a girl who was a little older than himself, and she was glancing around…As if attempting to find an exit. Next to her was a _blond boy with a monkey tail_. Suddenly, the girl with the cat ears turned her face in his direction.

The two stared at each other for several moments.

' _Oh, son of a-'_ Cutting off that thought, Naruto snapped his eyes to Roman, only to see that the orange haired man had spotted them too. _'This is going to happen again, isn't it?'_ It seemed the blond monkey Faunus also noticed Roman staring at them, because he alerted his companion to it.

Deciding her next course of action, the cat Faunus whipped out her weapon and aimed it at a junction box.

' _Damn it all.'_ A single shot was all it took for all of the lights to go out.

"You stupid brats again?! Someone catch them!"

"Sun! We're leaving!"

"Right behind you!" The sound of something shattering was heard, soon followed by loud stomps, and then an even louder crash. It was then that the backup power for the warehouse kicked in, allowing all of the inhabitants to see that a large hole was in the wall, as well as the lack of a Paladin mech.

Cursing, Naruto spoke up. "Neo! Catch up to us when you can! I'm going after them now!" Not waiting to see any confirmation, Naruto dashed out the newest exit.

* * *

 **With Yang and Neptune**

Neptune clung on for dear life as Yang sped through the streets. "Hey! Slow down a bit! You're going too fast!" Unfortunately for him, Yang didn't appeal to his pleas. "Why are you so mad?!"

"Mad? I'm not mad. I'm freakin' _pissed!_ " If what Junior said was true, then…

Yang's attention was pulled away by a light coming to life on her dashboard, signifying that she had an incoming call on her scroll. Knowing that is was most likely one of the other pairs, she skidded to a stop.

"You stopped?" Neptune muttered. "Oh thank Oum…"

Ignoring him, Yang pulled out her scroll. "Yeah?"

" _Everyone! If you can hear me, then we need-"_

" _There's a giant robot chasing us!"_ Blake was cut off by her temporary partner.

" _Inform us of the situation in sensible terms!"_ It seemed that the others got called as well, because Weiss' voice was clear…As well as her irritation.

" _Torchwick brought an Atlesian mech to the meeting!"_ Sun said. _"And now he's using it to chase us!"_

Instantly, Yang spoke up. "Torchwick was there? What about Kitsune? Was he there?!"

" _Wha-? Yeah! But who cares about that?! Focus on the robot that's trying to kill us!"_ It was then that a loud stomping sound was heard on the other end of the street. Yang and Neptune glanced up just in time to see Blake and Sun run by, a large robot hot on their heels.

"Um…Wasn't that them?"

Growling, Yang put her scroll away and floored the gas.

* * *

 **With Naruto**

Naruto jumped from building to building while chasing after Roman. "You do know that you're attracting a lot of attention, right?!"

" _I. Don't. Care! I am sick and tired of these stupid brats interfering with every little thing!"_

' _Damn it…There's no way that this won't get other people to join in soon…'_ Shaking his head, Naruto resolved himself to simply ending this fight at the first chance available. His frown deepened when he noticed that Blake and the blond guy hopped onto the highway, Roman doing the same. With this thought in mind, Naruto pumped more chakra into his legs and leapt further.

Directing his fall as best as he could, Naruto landed on top of a speeding car, only to hop off of it and onto the next a moment later. Up ahead of him and Roman, the two Faunus were doing the same.

" _Did you come to join the fun?"_

"Someone has to make sure that you don't destroy everything!" Naruto bit out. "Keep civilian casualties down to a minimum!"

" _What? But…Oh, fine! I won't push the cars out of my way…as much."_

Nodding, Naruto touched down on another car only long enough to move to the next. Suddenly, he heard the roar of an engine that sounded like it was fast approaching. Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto groaned when he realized who it was.

* * *

Yang glared at the giant mech causing panic ahead of them. "We've got to slow it down!"

"I'm on it!" Neptune began to reach for the weapon on his back, but he paused when a smaller form landed onto a truck in front of them. "Who is that?!" The instant she saw him, Yang's mind screeched to a crawl.

Cerulean eyes connected with lilac.

' _Is that really…?'_

"That must be Kitsune…" Neptune concluded. Frowning, he pulled the weapon off of his back and turned it into its gun form. "We need to take him out before we can get to Torchwick!"

Hearing this, Yang hastily shook her head to clear it. "Y-Yeah! I'll give you an opening, you take the shot!"

"Let's do it!" In response to Neptune's shout, Yang applied more pressure to the gas pedal, making them speed up. Taking aim, Neptune fired several rounds at Naruto.

Seeing the threat, Naruto quickly took out his gunblade and shifted it into a gun. He jumped from car to car as he avoided Neptune's electricity coated bullets, returning fire when he had an opening.

"Hang on!" Yang swerved to the side to maneuver out of the way of Naruto's shots. "You won't be able to hit him like that! He can just jump to another car!"

Neptune nodded. "Then I'm going to have to do the same!" Neptune carefully stood up on the seat of the motorcycle. "You go help Sun and Blake!"

"Hey, wait!" That was as far as Yang got when Neptune leapt off of the motorcycle and onto a nearby car. "Damn it!" Although she really wanted answers, Yang reluctantly sped up to catch up to the paladin.

"Not happening…" Naruto muttered. He crouched down to jump onto a truck in front of her, but he found his path blocked when Neptune landed on a van between them.

The blue haired teen smiled at Naruto. "Sorry, but you're not going to stop her!"

Naruto tensed his body. "I don't have time for you…"

"Well that's unfortunate…" Neptune twirled his weapon around, turning it into a trident. "Because you don't have a choice!" He leapt at Naruto.

Naruto scowled and flicked the switch on his gunblade, making it become a sword. Bringing his sword up, he blocked the trident and kicked out at Neptune. Rolling with the deflection, Neptune flipped his body up and over Naruto, coming to a stop in a crouch behind him. Acting on the opening, Neptune swept his trident at Naruto.

Knowing he had to get out of the way, Naruto jumped off of the truck and onto a large flatbed next to it. Not wanting too much distance to get between them, Neptune immediately moved onto the same flatbed.

' _He's not going to let me get any further…'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'And that trident makes it so that it will be hard for me to get in close to use my sword…We would both just dodge each other if we used guns…Which means…'_ Naruto sheathed his gunblade, confusing Neptune greatly. _'The best way for me to get around this is by outnumbering him.'_ Naruto brought his hands together. " **Shadow Clone Jutsu**!"

Neptune's apprehension grew when he saw copies of Naruto appear on either side of the original. "Great…This must be the cloning ability." He supposed that he should count himself lucky that Naruto wasn't able to do any more on the flatbed, or else he would also be hindered by the lack of room. Shaking his head, Neptune slid into a battle stance. "Fine then…I still won't back down!" He dashed forward.

The clones pulled their gunblades out and moved to meet him without being instructed. Together, they moved to slash at Neptune, but the older teen used his reach advantage to his benefit to parry and block the blows before they even got close. Seeing this, Naruto joined the fray.

The blue haired teen used the staff part of his trident to block a downward strike, but he didn't stick around any longer of that so he wouldn't be stabbed by the second clone that was attacking from behind. Rolling to the side, Neptune was shocked to see the original Naruto standing in front of him, blade already arching down.

"Whoa!" Acting hastily, Neptune attempted to move his weapon into the path of Naruto's attack, but he merely succeeded in deflecting the blow enough so that it only hit his arm. "Hey! That really hurts!"

"Kinda the point…" Naruto muttered. He lashed out with a kick, but Neptune jumped out of the way and onto the top of a box truck. Naruto and his clones immediately went after him, the two clones landing behind Neptune while the original landed in front of him.

Not liking the battlefield one bit, Neptune hesitantly spoke up. "Um…Sorry about this, but I don't suppose you would be willing to change the location a bit?" The only response he got were three hooded blondes slipping into battle stances. "Of course not…"

Naruto and his clones attacked together, the clones aiming lower while the original aimed at Neptune's torso. Knowing the danger, Neptune twirled his trident around and clashed it against two of the attacks, opting to simply dodge the third.

Now that Naruto was at least briefly off balance, Neptune lunged at him with his trident. Naruto leaned back to avoid the attack, but he was forced to drop to the floor completely when Neptune quickly followed by diverting his trident's trajectory towards him.

Luckily for Naruto, his clones were able to recover in time and interfere. First, one of the clones intercepted the attack, and then the second one used that chance to kick Neptune off of the truck.

"Ow! Again!" Rolling his eyes at Neptune's shout, Naruto glanced down onto a lower highway, where Roman and the others jumped down to. He scowled when he saw the situation.

Sun and Blake were outmaneuvering Roman while Yang drove around them and assisted however she could. _'I don't have time for this…'_ "You two keep him busy." With that command to his clones, Naruto started to make his way back to Roman. As he approached them, he spoke into his earpiece. "How are things on your end?"

" _Oh, I'm absolutely peachy! Don't you love it when stupid_ brats _won't stop making a mess of things?!"_

Figuring that Roman could use the help, Naruto shifted his weapon into its gun mode. Landing on a car, he took aim for Sun, but he never got the chance to fire.

"There is no way you're going to leave me with clones so you can help your criminal buddy!"

"Gah!" Naruto grit his teeth when an electrified bullet impacted his shoulder, momentarily paralyzing his arm. Glaring back, he saw Neptune hopping from car to car to not get stabbed by Naruto's clones, but even that one shot had made a big enough opening for one of them to land a slash on his back.

" _Looks like you can use some help yourself…"_ Roman chuckled. _"Why don't we knock their number down to half?"_

Naruto stopped rubbing his shoulder to regain the feeling. "What did you have in mind?"

" _Get closer. I'll take care of it from there."_

Despite not liking being left in the dark, Naruto crouched low before jumping down onto the highway they were on.

"Hey! I said you're not going anywhere!" Neptune dodged a clone's attack and moved after him. It soon turned into a chase where Naruto was trying to catch up to Roman, Neptune was trying to catch up to Naruto, and Naruto's clones ran interference however they could.

"Am I close enough now?!"

" _A little bit more! I only need a few more feet…Good, that's close enough!"_ Naruto came to a stop on a truck that was only a couple dozen feet behind the mech.

"What's your plan, Roman?!" Naruto was very aware of Neptune's approaching form.

" _Oh, just a little something I like to call…"_ Sun twirled his staff around and jumped at the mech, prepared to land a hard blow. _"Catch the monkey!"_ Roman lashed out one of the Paladin's hands and latched it around Sun.

"Wha-?!"

Blake's eyes widened in alarm at the sight. "Sun!"

Not giving them a chance to interfere, Roman whirled around so that the mech was running backwards. _"I suggest you duck, Kid!"_ Finally realizing the plan, Naruto got low as Roman hurled a screaming Sun his way.

And directly into Neptune, who was coming down on Naruto in an attack from above.

The impact made Naruto wince, but he was still relieved to see the two of them fall out of sight over the edge of the highway. "Glad that's over with…"

" _Maybe you haven't noticed, but we still have these two to deal with!"_

"I know that…" Naruto turned back towards Roman. "But it will still be easier now that…" Naruto cut himself off when he spotted something in the middle of the road ahead of them. "Roman, watch where you're going!"

Standing in the road in front of them was Weiss, who was glaring at the oncoming mech. Timing her move precisely, she spun around and stabbed her weapon into the ground, causing a large portion of it to ice over.

" _Huh?"_ Roman was unable to react swiftly enough to prevent the Paladin from slipping on the ice and over the barrier of the highway. _"Son of a bitch!"_ The remaining cars on the highway all skidded to a stop before reaching the layer of ice. Sun and Blake quickly hopped off their modes of transportation and went down after him.

Naruto cursed and jumped off of the truck he was standing on. "Roman, you alright?"

"… _I_ really _hate these brats…"_

"Yeah, you're fine." Arriving at the point where they went down, Naruto glanced over the edge and was just in time to see a cloud of white form. "What was that?"

Roman was quiet as he answered, most likely because he was focusing on trying to find team RWBY. _"That was the ice girl and the blond one working together to create steam…Now, are you going to help me or not?"_

Naruto frowned and dismissed his clones. "I'm coming down."

* * *

Ruby flipped in the air and landed on her feet following her assault on the large mech. Deciding on her team's next move, she called out. "Checkmate!"

Knowing that was their cue, Blake and Weiss dashed forward together. The two of them timed their attacks so they would slash at the legs at the same time, but it still seemed to be doing no damage. Rapidly growing annoyed with the lack of visible progress, Weiss landed on the ground just as a white glyph formed in that spot. Tightening the grip on her rapier, she launched her body at the cockpit.

Unfortunately for Weiss, she never anticipated the sudden black blade that appeared to intercept her strike. Acting on instinct alone, Weiss formed another glyph under her feet and used it to propel herself back toward the rest of her team.

Weiss' glare darkened to new levels when she saw who interfered.

"Kitsune." She growled.

Naruto stood in a battle stance in front of the Paladin, staring the team down. "Sorry, but we've barely had the thing for two days. It would suck if it broke already."

" _Yeah, the paladin is the important thing…Never mind the person_ inside _of it!"_

Yang's eyes flared red when she saw him, but they immediately went back to lilac. Similarly, Blake's eyes widened at the sight of him, but she quickly recovered herself.

"Kitsune, as leader of team RWBY, I saying here and now you're going down! Torchwick too!" Ruby declared.

" _And who's going to do it, Red?"_ Torchwick's voice came through the mech's speakers. _"You? Your little team? As if!"_ He brought the arms up, aiming the rockets at the four of them. _"News flash! You_ aren't _heroes!"_ He fired.

"Move!" Ruby and Blake jumped forward as Yang and Weiss jumped back. "Ladybug!" At Ruby's shout, she and Blake surged at the mech. Suddenly, Naruto blurred in front of the two. "Change target to Kitsune! Yang and Weiss, take care of Torchwick!"

"You got it!"

"Understood!"

Naruto deflected the blade streaking towards his neck, but he was forced to jump into the air to not be hit from behind from a scythe. Unfortunately for Naruto, this was only the beginning of Ruby and Blake's tag team. The moment he blocked or avoided the attack from one of them, the other came from another direction, forcing him to hastily react. Slowly but surely, the number of cuts on his body were piling up.

Back flipping to not get stabbed by the latest rush, Naruto contacted Roman. "We need to go!"

" _Really? I hadn't figured!"_

Before Naruto could respond in any way, Ruby invaded his field of vision with her scythe at the ready. "Damn it!" Naruto's blade shot up and blocked her, but it was difficult to do.

Ruby glared at him. "I don't want to fight you."

Not able to help himself, Naruto scoffed. "Hey, that's funny. I'd rather not fight you too."

"Just come quietly."

He shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not going to happen." Naruto broke off from the struggle and gained some distance, making sure to keep both Blake and Ruby in his sight. _'Now, what to do…'_ Replacing his gunblade, Naruto brought his hands together.

The two of them saw this and knowing what it meant, decided to stop him. "Don't let him do it!" Ruby instructed as she used her semblance to close the distance.

" **Shadow Clone Jutsu**!" Puffs of smoke announced the creation of clones, each of them already wielding their swords and ready to fight. "Now!" The clones and Naruto all rushed them.

Using her speed, Ruby weaved through the clones and their attacks, striking back as she could, but Blake had a much more difficult of a time evading the strikes. Eventually, she decided that she wouldn't be able to last with this many opponents who moved faster than her. Blake swiftly took in the positions of each Naruto. Upon verifying them all, she shifted her weapon into its pistol form and hurled it at the nearest Naruto. As anticipated, the clone evaded the weapon.

But he didn't expect it to come back.

Blake sharply tugged on the ribbon tied to Gambol Shroud, making it fire once it was behind him. The recoil of the shot fired the gun back. As the weapon came back, the blade part of it sliced into the back of the clone, making it dispel. Smirking in victory, Blake whirled around and sent her weapon at the next target.

' _That's a new one!'_ Naruto thought irritably. He ducked under the flying gun/blade when it neared him and shot his own gun at Blake, but he missed when she flipped over the bullets, all while destroying another two clones.

"That's the real one!" Blake called out, concentrating her attention on him as Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Got it!" Ruby fired a round off to the side, making the recoil propel her directly at Naruto at high speeds.

"Guh!" Naruto stumbled back as Ruby's scythe cut into him from the flank. Regaining himself, Naruto aimed at her and fired, but he was unable to hit her.

" _I could use some help over here!"_

"Yeah, well I'm dealing with problems of my own!" Naruto shot back, letting his irritation at the situation seep into his tone. He drew a kunai and used it to parry the flying pistol/blade as he shot at Blake. "What's wrong on your end?! You have a mech!"

" _A mech that just lost an arm!"_

The hooded blond growled as he shoved Ruby's scythe back. "Fix it on your own! I'm kind of busy!" Naruto dashed forward and slashed at Ruby, forcing her to jump back, but at the next moment he had to deflect Blake's attack. Using the chance, Naruto sprinted at Blake, who was standing off to the side.

Acknowledging the oncoming enemy, Blake pulled hard on her Gambol Shroud's ribbon, causing it to fly back to her hand. But by the time she caught it, Naruto was already under her guard with a foot kicking her gut. Some spittle flew from Blake's mouth as she harshly impacted the ground.

"Blake!" Ruby's distraction would cost her when the remaining clone chose to strike her in the back.

The second that the two of them were both downed, Naruto spun around and sprinted towards the other fight. As he approached, Naruto saw Weiss create a glyph that boosted Yang's speed. The elder blond used that boost to streak toward Roman, fist reared back to do major damage.

"Tch!" Naruto raised his gun and flicked two switches making the gun glow light blue. He didn't have much time to aim, so he opted to spray several shots at her in the hopes that one would hit.

Fortunately for him, one of the bullets did hit Yang's side, and the ice enhanced round immediately encased the side of her body in ice. "What?!" With her momentum completely thrown off, Yang tumbled to the ground.

"Yang!" Weiss turned to see who had attacked and she scowled when she saw it was Kitsune. She raised her rapier in preparation to attack as a glyph appeared under her feet. "Ha!" Aided by the glyph, she rushed to meet him partway. The gunblade reverted to blade form to deflect the rapier towards the sky. Then in one swift movement, Naruto spun around Weiss and turned it back into a gun. "What?!" Aiming at her back, Naruto shot a couple of rounds at her. Weiss cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, covered in ice.

Naruto landed in front of the mech, panting from all of the fighting and moving he has been doing. _"Have I ever told you how happy I am to work with you?"_

"You can say it more often." Naruto called back.

When she saw who interfered, Yang's eyes bled red again. With a scream of anger, her hair took on a bright glow and she shattered the ice. "Enough!" She got to her feet. "I have been putting this off for too long already! You and I are going to talk. _Now_!" She shouted.

If the others could see Naruto's face, then they would have seen the confusion on it. "…What?"

"If you are who I think you are, then I am officially _pissed!_ "

" _Hey, Kid…Has your cover been blown?"_ Roman's voice in his earpiece verbalized the very thing that Naruto was wondering.

"…Apparently." When did Yang find out? Did Blake tell her? "This isn't the time to talk."

Yang growled and took a menacing step forward. "This isn't the time to talk? Then when _is_ the time to talk, Nar-"

"Yang!" Yang paused when Ruby and Blake joined her. "Where's Weiss?" Ruby asked in concern.

"Over here, _covered in ice!_ "

" _Yeah, it's not so fun, is it, Ice Queen?"_

Weiss glared at the paladin, but she was still freeing herself from the ice. "When I get out of here, I will enjoy making you pay…There!" The last of the ice crumbled. "Now then…" Weiss quickly stood up and joined her team.

Roman chuckled, allowing it to be heard by all. _"Oh, would you look at this? Four school girls, all standing together to stop the bad guys and save the day. Doing their best to be some kind of_ heroes _."_

"This time, we're taking a page out of Kitsune's book." Upon hearing sirens approaching in the distance, Weiss allowed a smirk to cross her features. "We don't have to _beat_ you…Simply stall for time."

Naruto scowled. _'And it's working.'_ By then, all the destruction on the highways alone would have attracted police and huntsmen to the area. It was only a matter of time before they arrived down where they were. Suddenly, Roman's voice came over the earpiece.

" _I got a message from Neo."_ Roman said. _"She is near the area and can extract us in two minutes."_ Finally, some good news.

It seemed that Yang was growing irritated over being interrupted when she was trying to get answers from Naruto, because she blew up a moment later. "Enough! Give up!"

The paladin's speakers boosted Roman's chuckled through the area. _"How about…No?!"_ He raised his remaining arm and fired the rockets at them, making team RWBY scatter. _"Why don't you get it?! Even if we do give up, someone like us will just take our place! The White Fang is proof of that!"_ He blasted the lasers at Blake.

"The we'll take them down!" Ruby shouted. Naruto appeared in front of her with his sword arching down. Acting on instinct, she pulled the trigger of Crescent Rose and used the recoil to evade. Flipping back, she used a second recoil to get behind Naruto. The hooded blond gritted his teeth in pain when the attack connected, but he didn't let up.

"But it never ends!" Naruto retorted. "The fact that it won't end _proves_ there is something wrong! That there are people out there who feel like they are getting cheated! That's _why_ the White Fang was formed!"

Weiss came in and defended Ruby. Locking her rapier with Naruto's gunblade, the two tried to push one another back. "Even so, the way they do things is flawed. It only proves to others that they are criminals who are in the wrong." She glared at him. "Like you!" A black glyph formed under their feet, catching Naruto off guard. He made to move away, but he found himself immobilized. The next thing Naruto knew, he was struck from the side by shots from Gambol Shroud. However, it appeared that Weiss was extremely fatigued, because her glyph faded away a moment later.

Naruto jumped back and ducked under Blake, who came in with a failed follow up attack. "The concept of a _criminal_ is sometimes the way you look at it." Naruto said quietly. "To me, the worst kind of criminal is the person who stands by while others are hurt, not even trying to do anything." He charged at her. "Or worse, they _prevent_ people from getting help! I'd rather be someone who _does something_!"

"That doesn't justify the way you do it!" Blake rebuked. "What's the point of it if you become the very thing that you were fighting against?!" She used her semblance to have a clone take a hit for her, her real self in the air above him. Acting on the opportunity, Blake lashed out and sent Naruto stumbling away from the blow, but he managed to recover and retaliate when she landed.

Blake leapt out of the way to help Ruby and Weiss with Roman, but Yang was there the next second, throwing both punches and shots at Naruto. "I'm not saying I'm a good guy. I'm not saying that my actions don't have any repercussions. But I _am_ saying that there are people who _are_ seen as the good guys, who _are_ the bad guys! If things were as they should, then that wouldn't happen!" He flipped over her. "And if _I_ have to become bad guy, then _fine!_ " He rushed Yang.

"You are the biggest _idiot_ I have ever met!" She spun around with surprising speed and _punched_ Naruto's blade out of the way. "Everything you've been saying is wrong!"

"It's needed!" Naruto shouted, using his other arm to deflect the next attack Yang sent at him. Bringing his blade back, Naruto slashed horizontally at Yang, but the older blond jumped up and over him. Whirling around, Naruto stabbed at her, but Yang dropped to the ground and lashed a foot out at his legs, attempting to make him fall.

Because of this, Naruto's balance was thrown off and he began to stagger forward, but he swiftly regained his composure and didn't resist the pull of gravity, instead going along with it. Rolling, Naruto sprung back to his feet and swiped at Yang, who was caught off guard by how quickly Naruto was able to recover, resulting in Naruto's blade meeting her side. "Agh!" Naruto went in for another attack, but Yang jumped to the side, clutching her newest injury.

Naruto was about dash at her again, but he stopped himself when he noticed that she was shaking. A moment later, Yang clenched her teeth and her eyes flashed. "It's necessary?" She scowled. " _This_ is necessary? As if!" She exploded forward, surprising Naruto.

Reacting, Naruto swung his blade at her, but Yang was ready for him. As the blade neared, Yang raised an arm up, creating a shower of sparks as the gunblade clashed with Ember Cecilia. Not giving Naruto any time to think, her other hand shot up and latched around his wrist, earning a pained grunt from Naruto as she applied pressure.

With his grip weakened, Yang forced the gunblade out of Naruto's hand, allowing it to fall to the ground, before using the hold she still had on him to tug him closer. Stumbling, Naruto's eyes widened and spittle flew from his mouth as a fist embedded in his gut, making him hunch over. "Guh…!" Suddenly, the second fist crashed into his chin from below, painfully snapping his mouth shut as he was launched into the air from the force. He was arched back with his body facing away from the ground.

Although he was dazed, Naruto registered that Yang had leapt up after him, resulting in her being above Naruto's airborne form, gauntlet reared back in preparation of forcefully sending him back to the ground. Acting quickly as Yang neared him, Naruto put his hands together and created a clone in the air next to him, using it to pull him out of the way of harm while in the air.

With her target having moved out of the way, Yang's punch slammed into the ground, creating a small shock wave that detonated through the area. Landing in a crouch with his clone, Naruto gritted his teeth as pain tore through his body. _'Shit…'_ He knew Yang was strong, but it wasn't often that he was on the receiving end of one of her truly furious punches. Panting slightly, his eyes scanned the ground, but he failed to spot his fallen weapon. _'Must've gotten moved from the shock wave…'_ His eyes snapped back to Yang as she stood up from her kneeling position.

Growling, Yang's crimson eyes went to Naruto and his clone. "You…"

' _I have no weapon and I'm injured…Damn it, I'm running out of options.'_ He raised a hand towards his clone, palm facing up. _'No choice then…She's strong, so she should be fine after this…'_ Knowing what he wanted, the clone brought its hands over to Naruto's, and then began to form the long familiar jutsu.

Seeing Naruto start to reveal _another_ technique, Yang's irritation spiked. "Oh, like _hell!_ " Using Ember Cecilia to gain a boost, Yang immediately blasted forward, shooting the clone as she approached.

Not having expected this, the clone was easily destroyed, leaving Naruto alone with a half-completed **Rasengan**. The next thing he knew, Yang was upon him again, intent on putting him down for good. "No-!" Acting on instinct, Naruto thrust the incomplete jutsu at Yang, getting a direct hit on her stomach.

"Gah!" Yang shouted in pain, but she refused to budge. Instead, her eyes glowed brighter as her hair seemed to catch fire. "That's…E… _nough_!" She threw out a hand and grabbed the front of Naruto's top. "You're wrong!" She slammed a fist into his gut. "What you're doing is wrong!" She snapped her knee up, catching Naruto by the chin, but she didn't let him go flying into the air again. "And I am going to make!" She tugged him back towards her, her hair growing even brighter as her rage mounted. "You!" Another strike, but to chest. "Realize." Another hit to the stomach. " _That!_ " She reared a fist back and -after taking a moment to gather all of her strength- she shot it at Naruto's face, landing one final punch on him.

 _Hard_.

Crack!

Naruto blacked out as he went flying back from the force of Yang's punch, tumbling along the ground for several feet. He only came to a stop when he hit the damaged and nearly destroyed mech. After finally stopping, Naruto slowly attempted to pick himself up. But as he did so, he noticed several drops of a dark liquid falling to the ground. Thinking on it, Naruto vaguely recognized it as blood.

' _I'm…bleeding? From where…?'_ Everything was too hazy for coherent thought. Gently, Naruto lifted a hand to his face, allowing himself to find where it was coming from. _'Oh…My mouth.'_ It was then that Naruto noticed something on the ground next to the spots of blood…Something metallic. _'…Is that…a piece of my mask…?'_ Looking at it again, Naruto concluded that it was indeed part of his mask, and a significant portion of it.

He stared at it for another minute.

Sluggishly, Naruto's mind processed what the implications of his mask being shattered meant. His eyes widened as he confirmed the feeling of cold air directly touching his lower face. Hesitantly, he turned his head in the direction of the others…Where there was now a significant lack of fighting.

All four members of team RWBY were staring at him, but with differing reactions. Yang still had an expression of anger on her face, but it was somewhat diminished, as if she was somewhat resigned. Weiss appeared to be taken aback, but she then recovered and scowled. Blake was giving Naruto a sad look, but she didn't seem apologetic.

Ruby looked _devastated._

"N…Naruto?" She asked weakly. "W-What are you…Why are you with…W-What's going on?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Weiss asked quietly. "Naruto is Kitsune. He always has been. From the very beginning, he has been lying to us!"

' _N-No…'_

"N-No. That can't be true." Ruby denied. "It can't!"

Naruto did his best to push himself to his feet, but the fatigue and the damage was finally catching up to him. _'Hey…fox! Now would be a…good time to pay rent!'_ Marginally, the pain receded, but it wasn't by much.

"Look at what's in front of you!" Weiss shouted. "The proof is there!"

A chuckle was heard. "I told you, Red. The real world isn't as pretty as you think it is." All eyes of team RWBY turned to see Roman exiting from the now non-operational paladin. "The real world is full of all kinds of things like this." He said, slowly making his way over to Naruto. "Those fairy tale stories where the good guys win? The power of _friendship_ granting the hero the power needed to miraculously pull through? That's all they are… _Stories_ …The real world isn't a nice place." He frowned and crouched next to Naruto. "Hey, you alright, kid?"

"G…Give me a minute." Naruto muttered. _'…Or more…'_ Holy crap, Yang was normally strong, but her semblance took it to a whole new level.

Nodding, Roman stood back up. "Naruto is Kitsune…Now you know." He said. "Isn't that a cruel twist of fate?"

"It can't be true!" Ruby repeated. "Naruto would never do something like that! He's nice! And friendly! He wouldn't become a criminal!"

"Wow, you sure are naïve, aren't you?"

Not wanting Ruby to continue any further, Weiss took a step forward. "Enough. This fight is over. You no longer have a paladin to fight the four of us with and Naruto likely has a concussion from Yang's attack. Not only that, but he is disarmed. You lose."

"Ha! Lose? _Me?_ Let me tell you something about that, Ice Queen. Besides being a _giant_ sore loser…I also can't lose. And you want to know why?" He paused for a moment. "Simple, really. I cheat. Now then, this is where we part ways…"

"You aren't leaving!" Blake declared, prepping herself for a fight.

A scoff escaped from Roman. "And who's going to stop me? You?"

"Us!" Weiss corrected. "We will!" A glyph appeared under her. "Right here, right now."

An uneasy look flashed across Roman's face. "That's nice and all…but I think I'd rather pass on that. Neo?" The air between them shattered, revealing a frowning Neo. "Welcome to the party."

"Another one?" Yang growled.

"Yes, another one." Roman confirmed. "You didn't think it would be that simple did you? Of course not!" He smiled mockingly. "Once again, this is goodb-"

Yang just about had enough of all of Roman's crap. After a night filled with shock, betrayal, anger, fighting, fatigue, pain, and worry, she didn't feel like listening to this anymore.

As such, she decided to interrupt the bastard before he could finish so she could cut off any plans to escape. "You're! Not! Leaving!" With a scream of rage, she shot forward, intending to punch Roman in the face as well.

"Holy crap!" Roman jumped out of the way. "Don't do that!" The next moment, Roman found himself on the receiving end of a double team from Weiss and Blake. "Oh, wonderful!" He said sarcastically, frantically parrying and deflecting anything that came his way. "Neo! Now would be a good time to make our escape!"

Nodding, Neo turned and began to make her way to Naruto, who still couldn't get back up, but she was blocked off partway by a red eyed Yang. "Like hell!" With that shout, Yang attacked, but Neo easily outmaneuvered all of her attacks. Feeling playful, Neo stuck a tongue out.

"Gah! You and your _freaking_ ice!" That shout from nearby broke Neo's playful mood. Remembering the situation, Neo frowned and twirled her umbrella. She then lunged at Yang while using her Umbrella as a weapon, and the two engaged in a fast paced bout.

Back by the destroyed paladin, Naruto's mind was switching between semi-clarity and murkiness. _'Come on, fox! I_ know _you can work faster than this!'_ Despite Naruto's demands, his healing was not sped up. _'Damn it!'_ Deciding to try doing it himself, Naruto concentrated on channeling the Kyūbi's chakra.

Only to find that he couldn't.

Instead of feeling himself gain power and heal, Naruto's body locked up as even more pain raced through it. Unnoticed by the others, his eyes had turned red while his whiskers darkened. _'What_ _the hell?! Why is this happening now?!'_ He quickly abandoned that plan, allowing the pain to recede to what it naturally was, along with his features. _'Shit...This is getting worse and worse.'_ Looking to the fights, Naruto saw that while Neo was holding her own -or even winning- against Yang, Roman was slowly getting overwhelmed. And to make matters worse, the sirens were getting closer.

There was no way for them to get out undetected without Neo's abilities, but a person needed to be near her for them to be concealed. The problem was that Naruto, Neo, and Roman were all split up to a distance that was too far for Neo to cover. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to defeat them and get away, so it they would all be arrested.

' _Unless…'_

"N…Neo!" Naruto shouted, gaining her attention as she knocked Yang away. "Take Roman and go!" Her eyes widened. "Do it!" Neo's reluctance to do so was clear, but Naruto persisted. "Please, Neo…I'll be fine." He was at least fairly sure that he would be able to escape later. They couldn't account for his jutsu, so he could escape like that. Although he knew that Neo would get him back later for making her leave without him.

Neo appeared to be torn as she looked between him and Roman, who was gaining more and more damage. Eventually, the woman scowled and nodded. Taking another glance at Naruto, she vaulted over Yang's latest attack -stunning the blond with a kick to the head as she did- and made her way to Roman.

Catching Blake and Weiss off guard, Neo successfully managed to hit them both away and reach Roman. Only pausing to send one more glance at Naruto, the two vanished.

"They got away?" Weiss asked angrily. "After all of _that,_ they _escaped?_ " She paused. Slowly, she turned around to glare at Naruto. "Well…Not _all_ of them."

Finally not seeing a point to keeping it up any longer, Naruto allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **There we go! All done with Chapter 17!**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Kog6943**


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